The Best Universities for PhDs in Medicine in Canada (2026)

Canada is known for its high-quality research facilities and well-funded PhD programmes, making it a popular destination for medical research.

This guide looks at the best universities in Canada for PhD study in Medicine, using major global rankings to help you compare institutions.

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Medicine at a university in Canada. Here are just a few:

• Canada boasts some of the top universities globally that offer renowned PhD programmes in Medicine. This ensures a comprehensive learning experience under high academic standards.
• Universities in Canada have world-class medical laboratories, libraries and research centers providing cutting edge technology and abundant resources for groundbreaking research opportunities.
• Plenty of scholarships, grants and funding options are available specifically designed to support PhD candidates financially during their study programme in medicine.
• As Canada is known for its top-tier healthcare system, a Medicine PhD from one of its universities prepares graduates well for positions within academia, hospital administration or clinical settings amongst others.

The following tables give the 10 top universities in Canada for Medicine, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which Canadian universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

Our guide has more information on how to use international rankings to decide on the best research universities for PhD study.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.

Tips from the author

I hope this guide helps you understand where medicine research is particularly strong in Canada. Many programmes are research-led, so finding a supervisor whose interests match yours is key. I'd also recommend exploring funding and supervisor options early, as competition can be strong at top universities. Lastly don't give up as you hunt and apply for the right programme for you!