university of toronto

U of T was just ranked one of the top universities in the world

This may not seem like news considering how many high rankings the school has received, but the University of Toronto was just ranked 18th in the world by the largest and most diverse university ranking to date. 

Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings for 2020 ranked the Toronto school three spots higher than last year, and it's the top-rated Canadian school on the list. 

The ranking includes almost 1,400 “research-intensive” universities across 92 countries, and it's based on "13 carefully calibrated performance indicators that measure an institution’s performance across teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook."

Taking the number one spot on the list is the University of Oxford for the fourth year in a row. Oxford is closely followed by the California Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge and Stanford University. 

When it comes to Canadian schools, only four made it to the top 100.

They include the University of British Columbia at number 34, McGill University at 42, McMaster University at 72 and the University of Montreal at 85.

Here are the top 20 universities in the world, according to the ranking: 

  1. University of Oxford, U.K.
  2. California Institute of Technology, U.S.
  3. University of Cambridge, U.K. 
  4. Stanford University, U.S. 
  5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.
  6. Princeton University, U.S. 
  7. Harvard University, U.S. 
  8. Yale University, U.S. 
  9. University of Chicago, U.S.
  10. Imperial College London, U.K. 
  11.  University of Pennsylvania, U.S.
  12. Johns Hopkins University, U.S.
  13. (13th - tie) University of California, Berkeley, U.S.
  14. (13th - tie) ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  15. UCL, U.K.
  16. Columbia University, U.S.
  17. University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.
  18. University of Toronto, Canada
  19. Cornell University, U.S.
  20. Duke University, U.S. 

"Canada has had a strong year, with six of its seven top 200 representatives rising up the table this year," rankings editor Ellie Bothwell wrote of the results.

"Its flagship, the University of Toronto, climbs three places to join the top 20 at 18th place — its highest position since 2011 — owing to improved scores for research income, research reputation and doctorates awarded. "

Lead photo by

University of Toronto


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

New laws and rules coming to Ontario next month

Next phase of Gardiner Expressway work to begin and here's what to expect

Toronto will get more water taxis to relieve overcrowded island ferries

Huge earth-chewing titans will soon carve out Toronto's new $27B subway line

The most popular pet name in Toronto is the same for both cats and dogs

Key Toronto intersection is finally reopening after days-long emergency closure

Troublesome raccoon stalls TTC subway service in most Toronto incident ever

More Canadians are about to have an easier time filing their taxes