New university rankings are out and McGill still can’t catch U of T

A new global ranking of universities has just dropped, and while McGill University held its own, it once again fell short of its longtime rival, the University of Toronto.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, released on March 12, evaluated 21,000 academic programs across 1,700 universities worldwide. According to QS, Canadian universities are best at engineering and biological sciences subjects.

As for McGill, the Montreal institution landed in the top 50 for 29 subjects, an impressive feat — but U of T blew past it with 46 top-50 rankings, more than any other university in Canada or the world for that matter.

How McGill stacks up in 2025

McGill made a strong showing across five major faculty areas, securing a 36th place ranking in arts and humanities, 45th in engineering, 28th in medicine, 48th in natural sciences, and 39th in social sciences and management.

But in a head-to-head comparison, U of T edged out McGill in nearly every category, placing 14th in arts and humanities, 17th in engineering and technology, 13th in life sciences and medicine, 20th in natural sciences, and 14th in social sciences and management.

McGill ranked in the top 50 in the following subjects:

Linguistics – 27th
Music – 14th
Theology – 27th
English language and literature – 43rd
History – 44th
Modern Languages – 37th
Performing Arts – 21st
Chemical Engineering – 44th
Computer Science – 48th
Data Science – 30
Mechanical Engineering – 49th
Mineral and Mining Engineering – 3rd
Anatomy and Physiology – 5th
Biological Sciences – 44th
Medicine – 28th
Nursing – 41st
Psychology – 25th
Earth and Marine Sciences – 46th
Environmental Sciences – 21st
Geology – 41st
Geophysics – 38th
Anthropology – 30th
Education – 28th
Law and Legal Studies – 41st
Library and Information Management – 22nd
Politics – 44th
Social Policy and Administration – 46th
Sociology – 48th
Sports-Related Subjects – 36th

While McGill still has plenty to brag about, it’s not the first time it’s been bested by other Canadian schools this year. Back in February, the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2025 ranked McGill 44th on the global scale and third among Canadian universities — behind the likes of U of T and the University of British Columbia.

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