McGill has once again secured a spot in the Top 25 universities worldwide, though it slipped down 8 notches from last year to land at 20th place. The University, however, has kept its title as the highest ranked Canadian institution.
McGill has placed in the Top 25 category for five consecutive years in the London Times Higher Education – QS World University Rankings (THE-QS) collaborative study.
Principal Heather Munroe-Blum told McGill’s Senate yesterday that the fluctuations in ranked performance were not a negative indicator.
“Some people have been asking how we go from 22 to 12 to 20, but it’s natural to expect some volatility,” she said. “But overall we’re certainly moving in the right direction.”
While McGill has steadily improved in most categories – particularly peer review and staff-to-student ratio – its research score has roller-coasted. After scoring 84 out of 100 in 2004, it plummeted to 8 in 2005, and then crept back up to 71 in 2007. But it dropped again to 51 this year.
However, many academics and universities have criticized rankings – in particular THE-QS – for flawed methodology, such as the arbitrary weighting of categories in the rankings and the subjectivity of quantifying reputation, leading many to ask whether the rankings accurately reflect the quality of education and research at an institution.
Twenty-two universities refused in 2006 to send data to Macleans for its annual Canadian university rankings.
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Canadian
Universities ranking in the top 200
20 – McGill University
34 – University of British Columbia
41 – University of Toronto
74 – University of Alberta
91 – Université de Montréal
117 – McMaster University (tied)
117 – Queen’s University (tied)
129 – University of Waterloo
159 – University of Western Ontario
164 – Simon Fraser University
170 – University of Calgary
197 – Dalhousie University