University of Toronto places fourth above Oxford and MIT in new world ranking

A new global university ranking has just dropped, and one Canadian institute is in the top ten, defeating even the University of Oxford.

The National Taiwan University (NTU) ranking evaluates universities based on their research output, number of published journal articles and citations, impact and more.

This year, 1,561 universities are included in NTU Rankings 2024. The University of Toronto was second-best in Medicine and ranked #4 overall, scoring 60.5 out of 100.

The prestigious Oxford trailed behind at #5, followed by John Hopkins, Tsinghua and Zeijhang Universities in China, Cambridge, and MIT.

The U.S.'s Harvard and Stanford and the U.K.'s University College London were first, second and third, respectively. Harvard's total score was an untouchable 97.6, and though Stanford was second, it scored 61.5.

Two other Canadian universities made the top 100, with the University of British Columbia (UBC) placing 37th and McGill placing 57th. The University of Alberta missed the top 100 by a hair, landing at the 101st spot.

Leah Cowen, the University of Toronto's vice-president of research, innovation, and strategic initiatives, said the ranking is "yet another reminder that the research produced at the University of Toronto is truly world-class."

"It also reflects our reputation for research excellence and impact across a broad range of fields — from medicine to the social sciences," she added.

The institution has been in the top 10 positions in NTU rankings since 2017. After ranking #3 globally for two years, it fell to the sixth and fifth spots in 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile, UBC ranked 33rd last year and has fallen since. Still, it's among the top 20 universities for Agriculture, Psychiatry, Plant and Animal Science, Environment and Ecology, and Social Sciences (general).

McGill may be 57th overall this year, but for one subject, it's among the top fifteen schools globally: Neuroscience and Behaviour. This is the highest it's placed for the subject in several years.

Last month, Shanghai Ranking released its 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities. The ranking examined 2,500 global institutions, including 27 Canadian schools.

The University of Toronto placed 26th globally and first in Canada, followed by UBC and McGill. U of T scored 39.6 out of 100. However, its ranking dropped twice from last year, falling from 24th place globally.

Check out the complete NTU Rankings here.