Top group (strong almost everywhere):
University of Toronto
University of British Columbia
McGill University
These are the ones that hit across multiple fields like medicine, policy, tech, finance. Big output, big networks.
Next group (can beat the top depending on field):
University of Waterloo - tech pipeline is hard to beat
University of Alberta - energy, engineering, some serious research
Université de Montréal - AI and data
These aren’t “best overall,” but in their lane or specialized program they can be #1.
Then the “program matters a lot” schools:
York University -
because of Schulich (business) and Osgoode (law)
Outside of these certain programs, York is more like average.
Western University
Queen’s University
McMaster University
More practical / industry-focused schools:
University of Calgary - very strong local focus
Simon Fraser University
Toronto Metropolitan University
Good job pipelines, but less global weight.