Canada’s best universities by student satisfaction: Rankings 2020
The student voice plays a crucial role in assessing campus life. More than 18,000 university students responded to Maclean’s online survey, giving their opinions on professors and staff, residence life, and opportunities for extracurricular activities and experiential education, such as co-op programs. Students also weighed in on such topical issues as mental health services and whether they think their university is doing enough to prevent sexual assault on campus. In recognition of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, which include several related to educational issues, Maclean’s included a question asking students to rate how well their university is making Indigenous histories, cultures and languages visible on campus.
Medical/Doctoral
| 1 | Sherbrooke | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 1 |
| 2 | Laval** | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | *4 | 13 | 14 | 2 |
| 3 | Queen’s | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Western | 4 | 2 | *5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
| 5 | Montreal** | 8 | 5 | *5 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 3 |
| 6 | McMaster | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 14 |
| 7 | UBC | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 |
| 8 | McGill | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 5 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 9 | Saskatchewan | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| *10 | Alberta | 9 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 6 | 13 |
| *10 | Dalhousie | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 8 |
| 12 | Manitoba | 12 | 9 | 13 | *11 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 13 | Ottawa | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 14 | *4 | 8 | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Calgary | 15 | 12 | 12 | *11 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 6 |
| 15 | Toronto | 10 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
Rank School Course Instructors Student Life Staff Administrative Staff Academic Advising Staff Mental Health Services Extracurricular Activities Experiential Learning Residence Living Promoting Indigenous Visibility Steps to Prevent Sexual Assault
Comprehensive
| 1 | Wilfrid Laurier | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | *4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Guelph | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| 3 | Carleton | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| 4 | Brock | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 5 | UQAM** | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 4 |
| 6 | Victoria | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Windsor | 9 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| 8 | New Brunswick | 7 | 6 | 6 | 12 | *4 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| 9 | Ryerson | *10 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | *11 | 12 | 6 | 7 |
| 10 | Waterloo | 5 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 12 |
| 11 | Concordia | *10 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 8 | 10 | *11 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 12 | Regina | 15 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| 13 | Memorial | 12 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
| 14 | Simon Fraser | 14 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 15 |
| 15 | York | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 |
Rank School Course Instructors Student Life Staff Administrative Staff Academic Advising Staff Mental Health Services Extracurricular Activities Experiential Learning Residence Living Promoting Indigenous Visibility Steps to Prevent Sexual Assault
Primarily Undergraduate
| 1 | Mount Allison | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| 2 | Bishop’s | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 3 | Nipissing | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | Acadia | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 9 |
| 5 | UNBC | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 2 | 7 | *13 | *13 | 1 | 4 |
| 6 | St. Thomas | 2 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 4 | *13 | 13 | 10 |
| 7 | St. Francis Xavier | 6 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 19 |
| 8 | Trent | 13 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
| 9 | Mount Saint Vincent** | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | Lethbridge | 12 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 7 |
| 11 | Cape Breton** | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 3 |
| 12 | UPEI** | 7 | 7 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 6 |
| 13 | Winnipeg | 10 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 9 | *18 | 17 | 17 | 9 | 14 |
| 14 | Ontario Tech | 18 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 8 |
| 15 | Saint Mary’s | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 15 | 18 |
| 16 | Moncton | 19 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 13 |
| *17 | Brandon | 14 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 15 | *18 | 19 | 19 | 12 | 11 |
| *17 | Lakehead | 15 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | *13 | 15 | 5 | 17 |
| 19 | Laurentian | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 13 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 15 |
Rank School Course Instructors Student Life Staff Administrative Staff Academic Advising Staff Mental Health Services Extracurricular Activities Experiential Learning Residence Living Promoting Indigenous Visibility Steps to Prevent Sexual Assault
*Indicates a tie
**Due to a low response rate this year, results from last year’s survey were used
MORE RANKINGS:
- Canada’s Top Medical Doctoral Schools 2020
- Canada’s Top Comprehensive Schools 2020
- Canada’s top Primarily Undergraduate Schools 2020
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