Canada’s educational system is considered among the best globally, and the country has consistently ranked at the top when it comes to providing world-class education and training to its students.

However, you’ll still need to choose the right university, depending on the type of degree you’re pursuing.

That’s why Maclean’s conducted a recent survey among the most prominent figures in this country’s sector, such as university faculty, established entrepreneurs, and senior administrators, regarding their views on the top universities in the country.

The survey included all types of universities – from those just offering undergraduate degrees to post-graduate ones, and these figures were to rank them according to which they thought were best for that specific category.

In this case, they categorized them in terms of “best overall,” “best quality,” “leaders of tomorrow,” and “most innovative”. So, which universities made the cut? More importantly, which ones ranked the highest?

Let’s find out.

Best Overall

If you’re looking for an excellent all-around university for your studies, you might want to check these Canadian universities out:

1. University of Toronto
2. University of British Columbia
3. University of Waterloo
4. McGill University
5. McMaster University
6. University of Alberta
7. Queen’s University
8. Western University
9. University of Montreal
10. Simon Fraser University

In first place is the University of Toronto, which takes the survey’s top spot for the sixth year in a row. It’s widely considered one of the best public research universities and educational institutions in the country, possibly even worldwide.

UBC and the University of Waterloo are two other public research universities in Canada that have consistently ranked at the top of the list for the best educational institutions worldwide. McGill University and McMaster University also enjoy similar reputations.

Highest Quality

In terms of the quality of education in these universities, this is how the respondents ranked them:

1. University of Toronto
2. University of British Columbia
3. McGill University
4. University of Waterloo
5. McMaster University
6. Queen’s University
7. University of Alberta
8. University of Montreal
9. Western University
10. Dalhousie University

Once again, the University of Toronto snagged the top spot for this category, with only McGill University and the University of Waterloo switching places at number 3 and 4, respectively.

Leaders of Tomorrow

Education serves as a solid foundation for tomorrow’s leaders, and the respondents were asked to rank the universities according to which ones they thought best fit the said category. In this case, their answers yielded the following results:

1. University of Toronto
2. University of British Columbia
3. University of Waterloo
4. McGill University
5. McMaster University
6. University of Alberta
7. Queen’s University
8. University of Montreal
9. University of Calgary
10. Western University

The University of Toronto is in the top spot for the third time, with UBC consistently in second place. McGill University and the University of Waterloo again switched places, while McMaster remains at the 5^th spot.

Most Innovative

Innovation is often critical for progress, and it’s no different when it comes to education. That’s why the survey also asked the respondents to rank the universities according to which ones they thought suit the category best.

In this case, the final tally had these results:

1. University of Waterloo
2. University of Toronto
3. University of British Columbia
4. McGill University
5. McMaster University
6. Queen’s University
7. University of Montreal
8. University of Alberta
9. Western University
10. University of Calgary

The University of Waterloo ranked at the top in terms of innovation, with the University of Toronto coming in second.

Conclusion

These are just the universities that made the top 10; the survey covered up to 49 universities, and the respondents ranked them accordingly.

If you’re looking to study in the top universities in Canada, you may want to check out these top 10 contenders, along with all the other institutions included in the survey.