9 Top Research Universities in Canada with their Full Details

Below is a list of top research universities in Canada you probably would like to learn about.

A research university is an institution of higher learning with its focus on research. As the name is, carrying out researches is a key part of the mission of research universities.

Research universities can either be public or private and usually have widely known brand names.

Study Abroad Nations bring to you the Top 9 Research Universities in Canada. Meanwhile, look through the table of content for an overview of what to expect in this article.

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What Is A Research University?

A research university is a university that is focused on research as a key part of their mission. Research universities can either be public or private and usually have widely known brand names.

Research universities are mostly public universities worldwide with distinguished exceptions which are Japan and the United States.

Is A Research University different from Other Universities?

A research university is a university that is focused on research as a key part of their mission.

Research universities can either be public or private and usually have widely known brand names. Basically, Liberal arts colleges and research universities are two different things.

Majority of the research universities house several colleges on the main campus, and these universities are likely to offer a wide range of academic and professional programs. Research universities tend to offer a wider range of degree programs.

Moreover, Research universities have graduate programs and their ultimate focus is on research and innovation while Teaching universities on the other hand don’t usually have graduate programs.

If they do have it is just a Master’s program and the professors have maximum teaching loads (with 3-4 courses as the norm) with small expectations to publish.

List of Top Research Universities in Canada

  1. University of Toronto
  2. University of British Columbia
  3. Université De Montreal
  4. McGill University
  5. University of Alberta
  6. University of Calgary
  7. McMaster University
  8. Université Laval
  9. University of Ottawa

University of Toronto

University of Toronto formerly known as King’s college was established in the year 1827 by royal charter, it is the oldest research University in Ontario.

University of Toronto U of T for short ranked first in Canada by times higher education and has maintained the position for 3 consecutive rankings among the top 20 worldwide, and also the first among the top research universities in Canada.

The admissions at the U of T are moderately competitive having an average acceptance rate of 43%. You ought to obtain at least a GPA of 3.0/4.0 on the OMSAS scale. Meanwhile, graduate applicants can apply with a minimum GPA of 3.0, having obtained the minimum GPA doesn’t guarantee quick acceptance.

In addition to having acquired a high-grade point average all through high school applicants must present good grades in the ACT (composite 29 – 34) or SAT examination (SAT combined score 1330 – 1500).

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (UBC) for short is a public research university established in 1908 having campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna and the oldest university in British Columbia.

The university ranks among the top research universities in Canada. UBC is consistently ranked among the best 20 public universities and a global center for research and teaching.

The least academic likely to qualify for admission into UBC is an admission average of 60%(C) where 50% is a passing grade or a GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0-grade scale.

Admission is quite competitive at UBC, applicants following the American school curriculum are mandated to present a SAT result; composite minimum 1600, or an ACT; minimum 25, including writing; minimum 10.

Applicants must have the standard requirements of both general and specific programs. The personal profile questions require short essay responses each; 50 to 200 words, be sure to think of your answers before you apply online.

Universite de Montreal

Universite de Montreal is a French-speaking public research university situated in Montreal, Quebec Canada, and is ranked among the top research universities in Canada.

The university has a highly selective and competitive admission rate of 40% – 50%. As a French-speaking school, and nearly all the courses are taught in French.

Students are expected to have a minimum GPA of 3.0 over 4.3 in the last two years of their previous program. Admission also requires a French test which the students who fail at it are advised to do a French language course.

Despite the fact that Universite de Montreal is a french-speaking university, many of their research departments are eager to create a bilingual environment for students in graduate-level programs.

Students who are fluent in English are thereby welcomed into some graduate-level program.

McGill University

McGill University is a public research university located at Montreal, Quebec City, Canada.

McGill University is one of the best-known research universities in Canada and among the top universities globally and is open to international students.

Their student body is the most distinct of any intensive research institution in the country with students coming from over 150 countries.

The acceptance rate at McGill is high making it quite difficult to get admitted, undergraduate program acceptance rate is high compared to that of the graduate program.

The acceptance depends solely on the program you applied for. The least acceptable cumulative grade point average is 3.0 out of a possible 4.0 or a grade point average of 3.2/4.0 in the last 2 years if full-time studies.

A higher CGPA is however required in some departments for admission.

Merit-based entrance scholarships are offered to first-time university students enrolling in a full-time undergraduate degree program by McGill’s Scholarships and Student Aid Office.

Mature, Transfer, Exchange, Diploma, Special, Part-time and Visiting students are not qualified for the entrance scholarships.

There are 2 categories of centrally administered entrance scholarships:

  1. One-year Scholarships: valued at $3,000 (non-renewable)
  2. Major Scholarships: valued between $3,000 and $12,000 (renewable yearly up to three or four years provided criteria for renewal are met)

University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a public research university situated in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

U of A is considered a Comprehensive Academic and Research University (CARU), which implies that it offers a variety of academic and professional program which widely leads undergraduate and graduate-level credentials, and have a high research focus and one of the top research universities in Canada.

The general acceptance rate for admission is slightly over 50% which implies that while the school may be competitive, it is easy for students to be accepted.

Moreover, various departments have separate acceptance rates for their program.

You are required to present a competitive average for your faculty of choice in order to be considered for admission based upon the required course for the program. Due to the competitiveness of the applicant pool, the average for each program is likely to charge all through the year.

The accepted minimum GPA is 3.5-3.75 over a 4.0-grade system. The acceptance rate is quite high especially in a program like Pharmacy and Engineering.

University of Calgary

The University of Calgary, U of C or UCalgary for short, is a public research institute situated at Calgary, Alberta Canada.

UCalgary was established in 1944 as U of A branch in Calgary. It comprises 14 facilities and about 85 research institutes and centres.

Applicants are expected to present minimum GPA of 3.30 calculated over the most recent course work to a maximum of 60 units and a minimum GPA of 3.30 calculated for all science courses included in UCalgary courses and/or transferable courses taken at other institution.

UCalgary is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of 10-20%.

McMaster University

McMaster University is a public research university located in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

It serves as a home to some top laboratories in the country, with research results competing with universities more than twice its size, with a merited reputation as a hotbed of discovery and innovation and it’s consistently ranked among the top research universities in Canada.

A minimum of 24 units of the courses required, a GPA of 4.0. The program probation may be feasible if your CGPA is 3.5-3.9.

You can only be on program probation once. Admission is highly competitive with an acceptance rate of 4.1%.

Université Laval

Université Laval is a French-speaking public research university in Quebec Canada.

It is ranked among the top research universities in Canada and also in possession of four Canada excellence chairs like most universities in Quebec.

The name Université Laval doesn’t have an English translation. Université Laval ranked 251-300 globally.

The main criterion for admission are high school grades. However, some programs/faculties might also conduct an extra test.

Applicants are expected to have general knowledge of French.

The acceptance rate is 59%.

University of Ottawa

University of Ottawa popularly known as UOttawa or U of O is a bilingual public research university located in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

 U of O offers more than 450 programs ranging from Engineering, health sciences, Art, civil law, Education, graduate and post-doctoral studies, medicine, science, social science, common law and the Telfer School of Management.

UOttawa is home to the biggest law school in the country.

With a minimum GPA of 3.11, UOttawa accepts students below average. It’s alright to be a B average student with some mixtures of A grade.

It would be best to not get C’s and D’s as application readers might doubt if you will be able to handle the stress of college academics.

UOttawa has an acceptance rate of 42% i.e. More than 1 student out of every 3 gets accepted, which is fair enough for a prestigious university like UOttawa.

Students are permitted to use either French or English to communicate with UOttawa’s central administration and general services, and with the administration of the academic unit in which the student is registered.

Students are also entitled to receiving services in their official language of choice. U of O is one of the top research universities in Canada.

 

Conclusion

These top 9 Research Universities in Canada are the best research universities in Canada and also recognized all over the world for their excellence in research programmes.

If you want to pursue a degree that is research inclined, doing that in one of these schools would be the best decision to make.

Ensure to apply now to start your journey. But if you wish to completely study for free in Canada, here are some amazing scholarship opportunities in Canada you can leverage on.

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