Concordia moves up in Maclean's rankings

Concordia has risen to ninth place among comprehensive universities in Maclean’s annual rankings of Canadian universities. The university also improved from last year in six of the indicators measured by the magazine.

Maclean’s ranks 50 universities across the country overall, including 15 comprehensive universities, 15 medical doctoral universities and 20 primarily undergraduate universities. It defines comprehensive universities as having “a significant degree of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees.”

Concordia’s highest placement this year is in the Reputational Survey, where it has risen by one spot to fifth among comprehensive universities and up two spots to 16th nationally among the 50 ranked universities. For this indicator, the magazine conducts an extensive survey, collecting views on quality and innovation from hundreds of university faculty and senior administrators, as well as employers across the country.

The largest gains were made in the following two categories, with the university climbing three spots in each:

• Scholarships and Bursaries: Concordia ranked eighth for the total operating expenditures devoted to scholarships and bursaries, which was eight per cent.
• Library Acquisitions: The university allocated 38.5 per cent of the library budget to updating the university’s collection, including electronic access, coming in 10th in its category.

Concordia’s standing also went up in each of the following three categories:

• Student Awards: The university ranked seventh, up one spot, in this indicator, which looks at the number of students per 1,000 who have won national awards over a five-year period (2020–2024).
• NSERC/CIHR grants: The university moved up two places to eighth for the average size and number of NSERC/CIHR grants.
• Faculty Awards: Concordia came in 10th, up one spot, for its number of full-time professors per 1,000 who have won national awards over a five-year period (2020–2024).

Read the full Maclean’s 2026 University Rankings.