Universities in Vancouver, Canada
- Rankings & Reviews -

Latest ranking updates related to universities in Vancouver
  • 06 Mar, 2024: Scimago Institutions published most recent results of Scimago Institutions Rankings. Includes 2 universities from Vancouver.
  • 25 Jan, 2024: Latest THE World’s Most International Universities from THE Times Higher Education, UK. University of British Columbia in position #23.
  • 19 Dec, 2023: Latest URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance from Urap . University of British Columbia in position #35.
  • 15 Dec, 2023: Latest Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments - ShanghaiRanking (Sport Science) from ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. University of British Columbia in position #19.

The first thing anyone will tell you about Vancouver is its natural beauty, a rarity for such a centre of metropolitan activity. But you understand what everyone is talking about once you take in the way it sophisticatedly combines cityscape architecture with extensive public green spaces, with mountains and sea on all sides.

Be warned though that in Vancouver on average it rains for almost 50% of the year, so your suitcase should be piled high with waterproofs!

That still leaves another 50% though, and a popular hangout when the weather’s good is Kitsilano Beach, or Kit’s Beach for short. A pro local tip is to not even try bringing your car here because parking is so challenging, but instead use Vancouver’s well organised public transport.


Rankings of universities in Vancouver, Canada 2024

Student satisfaction: 4.5 / 5.0 (based on 1101 student ratings)
  • #2 
  • #41 
THE World University Rankings
[Published 27 September, 2023]
  • #3 
  • #34 
QS World University Rankings
[Published 27 June, 2023]
  • #3 
  • #74 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]
Show 23 more rankings of University of British Columbia and subject specific rankings for 12 subjects

#2
USA

Washington State University Vancouver

  • #225 
  • #1309 
Scimago Institutions Rankings
[Published 06 March, 2024]

#3
Canada

Emily Carr University of Art and Design

Student satisfaction: 3.0 / 5.0 (based on 105 student ratings)
  • #79 
  • #7232 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]


#4
Canada

University Canada West

Student satisfaction: 3.5 / 5.0 (based on 424 student ratings)
Card image

  • #29 
  • #230 
StuDocu World University Ranking - US & Canada
[Published 06 September, 2021]
  • #76 
  • #6922 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

#5
Canada

Vancouver, City University

Student satisfaction: 3.9 / 5.0 (based on 88 student ratings)

Highest subject rankings of universities in Vancouver

Geography QS World University Rankings By Subject
#7 
University of British Columbia
Agriculture URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#10 
University of British Columbia
Education URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#14 
University of British Columbia
Geology QS World University Rankings By Subject
#16 
University of British Columbia
Marketing QS World University Rankings By Subject
#18 
University of British Columbia
Data Science QS World University Rankings By Subject
#19 
University of British Columbia
Linguistics QS World University Rankings By Subject
#20 
University of British Columbia
Civil Engineering NTU Rankings by Subject
#28 
University of British Columbia
Medicine QS World University Rankings By Subject
#28 
University of British Columbia
Mathematics QS World University Rankings By Subject
#32 
University of British Columbia

Student Opinions About Studying in Vancouver

“Visually the city is just stunning, and its famous rainfall makes it even prettier. There are plenty of places to do your shopping, and bars for having a drink with your buddies. My only real complaint is the traffic congestion, it can wear you down after a while if you live far away from your commitments.”

“Vancouver has a lot to see and do, whether it’s museums or bars on the rainy days, or hiking and a visit to Kit’s beach on the sunny days, which is a popular way the students spend their free time.”

“The public transport is really frequent and well organised, just don’t make the mistake of trying to use the roads during rush hour. The way I spent a lot of my time while studying at the University of British Columbia was to snowboard for a couple of hours after studying and meet up for dinner and maybe drinks straight after with my friends. Can’t ask for more.”

Vancouver Key Facts for International Students

PROS

  • Most students in Vancouver can take advantage of the U-Pass, a program which gives students unlimited use of local public transport. Vancouver Career College is the only post-secondary institution that does not participate in this program.

  • Unlike most of Canada, Vancouver enjoys a relatively warm climate. It does rain very frequently, but if you dress appropriately then you simply get used to it, and even learn to like it, or so the locals claim.

  • International students have the option to pay $75 every month for health insurance. To be eligible to apply for this, you must be able to demonstrate that you’re a full-time student, and that you’ve been living in Vancouver for at least three months.

CONS

  • The cost of living in Vancouver is high compared to other Canadian cities. It’s recommendable to have a job arranged in advance, if possible.

  • Vancouver is a lot of city packed into a relatively small area, so it experiences considerable traffic jams almost every day. Students who choose to live in off-campus housing should make sure it’s not too far away from their campus.

  • Nightlife is not a big scene in Vancouver in terms of nightclubs, although there are plenty of popular bars where people can unwind after a long day of work or study.


4 out of 5 Universities in Vancouver Ranked in at least one ranking

26 Different Rankings list Universities in Vancouver (21 institution and 5 subject rankings)

29 Global Rankings rank Universities in Vancouver Among TOP 200

Population: 600000

Time: GMT -8

District/province: British Columbia, Greater Vancouver Regional District

Living costs for students in Vancouver:

* 100 = prices in London

  • Living costs without accommodation 87* (13% cheaper than London)
  • All costs including accommodation 79* (21% cheaper than London)
  • Meals (grocery & lower cost restaurants) 84* (16% cheaper than London)
  • Average Big Mac price 7.25 C$
  • Plug Type A
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Plug Type B
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz
Nobel prize laureates:
Michael Smith (, 1993)

Map with location of universities in Vancouver

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Student Life in Vancouver.

  • Downtown Vancouver walking tour - UCW student life
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FAQ

University of British Columbia ranks #1 in Vancouver in our meta ranking composed of 112 university rankings.

Among all universities in Vancouver University of British Columbia is listed in the largest number of rankings. See all 36 rankings where University of British Columbia is listed.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Social Studies & Humanities (Geography). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Agriculture (Agriculture). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Education (Education). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Natural Sciences (Geology). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Business (Marketing). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Computer Science (Data Science). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Languages & Literature (Linguistics). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Engineering (Civil Engineering). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Medicine & Health (Medicine). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Mathematics (Mathematics). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Law (Law). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

University of British Columbia is ranked best in Vancouver for Architecture, Building & Planning (Architecture). See all rankings for the University of British Columbia.

Ranking publishers

4icu

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British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK

Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

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CWUR Center for World University Rankings

Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:

Research Performance: 40%

  • Research Output: 10%
  • High-Quality Publications: 10%
  • Influence: 10%
  • Citations: 10%

Quality of Education: 25%

Alumni Employment: 25%

Quality of Faculty: 10%

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Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands

Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:

Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity

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NTU ranking

Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:

Research Productivity: 25%

  • # Articles last 11 years: 10%
  • # Articles current year: 15%

Research Impact: 35%

  • # Citations last 11 years: 15%
  • # Citations last 2 years: 10%
  • Average # citations last 11 years: 10%

Research Excellence: 40%

  • H-index last 2 years: 10%
  • # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
  • # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%

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Nature Index

Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:

Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)

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RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)

Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:

Teaching: 40%

  • Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • World Teaching Reputation: 8%

Research: 40%

  • Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
  • Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
  • Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • World Research Reputation: 8%

International Diversity: 10%

  • International Faculty: 2%
  • International Students: 2%
  • International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
  • Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
  • International Level: 2%

Financial Sustainability: 10%

  • Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
  • Institutional Income per Student: 2%
  • Papers per Research Income: 2%
  • Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
  • Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:

Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%

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Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:

Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%

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RUY

Criteria used in ranking -Research Infosource: Canada's Top 50 Research Universities:

Total Sponsored Research Income 20% Research Intensity per Faculty 20% Total Number of Publications 20% Publication Intensity 20% Publication Impact 10% Research Intensity per Graduate Student 10%

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Scimago Institutions

Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:

Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%

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ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:

Quality of Education 10%

  • Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%

Quality of Faculty 40%

  • Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
  • Highly Cited Researchers 20%

Research Output 40%

  • Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
  • Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%

Per Capita Performance 10%

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StuDocu

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THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:

30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)

  • Reputation survey: 15%
  • Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
  • Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
  • Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
  • Institutional income: 2.25%

30% Research (Volume, Income and Reputation)

  • Reputation survey: 18%
  • Research income: 6%
  • Research productivity: 6%

30% Citations (Research Influence)

7.5% International Outlook (Staff, Students and Research)

  • Proportion of international students: 2.5%
  • Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
  • International collaboration: 2.5%

2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"

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Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:

Employability (survey) 100%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:

Research Reputation 66,6% Teaching Reputation 33,3%

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Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities:

Proportion of international students 25% Proportion of international staff 25% Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25% University’s international reputation 25%

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Thomson Reuters

Criteria used in ranking -Reuters Most Innovative Universities:

Patent Volume 33% Patent Citations 34% Industry Article Citation Impact 11% Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11% Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11%

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Urap

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Us News

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Webometrics

Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:

Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%

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