McGill cracks distinguished dozen

Times Higher Ed rankings

By Neale McDevitt | In the just-released annual Times Higher-QS World University Rankings, McGill University placed 12th overall—the first time a Canadian university has cracked the top 15 to join Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale and others among the dozen best universities in the world. The school also ranked ahead of such prestigious US universities as Duke, Stanford, John Hopkins and Cornell. As with last year, Harvard topped the list, with Oxford, Cambridge and Yale tied for second. McGill also had the distinction of being classed as the best public university on the continent. The University of British Columbia (33rd) and the University of Toronto (45th) were the only other two Canadian universities to crack the Top 50.

Since the 2004 inception of the THES annual rankings, McGill has always fared well—the only Canadian university to have made the top 25 every year. While the school's ranking has consistently improved (from 24th in 2005 to 21st in 2006), the nine-place jump this year is significant, especially following the recent launch of Campaign McGill.

"This news is particularly gratifying coming from the Times Higher-QS, which is respected the world over," said McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum. "At a time when universities are generating knowledge and talent for a global marketplace and for a society seeking solutions to increasingly complex problems through research and innovation, this recognition of McGill's role as a world leader is a tribute to the exceptional quality and commitment of our students, faculty and staff."