Top 5 Most International Universities in Canada

Canada is among one of the most popular study abroad destinations and welcomes almost 320,000 international students a year. But which universities in Canada are the best for international students?

We’ve compared the International Outlook scores, one of the criteria of the Times Higher Education rankings, from 2023 to give you five best Canadian international universities for international students. According to Times Higher Education, this score is based on a university’s proportion of international students, staff and research that involves international collaboration.

#1 University of British Columbia

At the very top with a score of 94.8 out of 100 is University of British Columbia. Around 44% of PhD students at the Vancouver campus and 22% of all students at the Okanagan campus are international The university works with over 300 universities worldwide, including UC Berkeley, Imperial College of London and Seoul National University to help facilitate research collaborations through initiatives like Go Global.

#2 Simon Fraser University

With a score of 92, Simon Fraser University is not very far behind! It’s three campuses welcome students from over 145 countries. It is a part of a number of international university networks such as the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) which encourage joint research projects and student exchanges. Simon Fraser is also involved in the National Collegiate Athletics Association of the United States of America and is its first international member!

#3 McGill University

With a score of 91, McGill University is third on the list. 30% of the university’s student body is international which is the highest proportion of any Canadian research university! McGill University facilitates and encourages international students to join them with a dedicated buddy programme which matches new students with current international students to help them settle in.

#4 University of Toronto

In fourth place is the University of Toronto. It has an International Outlook score of 89.7 and boasts of welcoming students from 160 countries who make up 15% of their student body. The university connects its researchers globally through International Doctoral Clusters which bring together collaborators from across the world to work on specific topics of research. Current IDC partners include Zhejiang University, Max Planck Society and National University of Singapore, among others.

#5 University of Alberta

Last, but not least, is the University of Alberta, with a score of 89.2. Almost 40,000 international students call it their home-away-from-home. If you’re an international student, you can choose to enrol onto one of their 170 doctoral programmes or even do a research internship depending on your circumstances. The university welcomes more than 200 exchange students from around the world!

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