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McGill first in Canada, 12th in world rankings


November 8, 2007

Times Higher-QS rates McGill best public university in North America

McGill University has been ranked among the world's top universities again this year by the prestigious Times Higher-QS World University Rankings. The THES/QS declared McGill the number one Canadian university by global standards and number 12 among the top 200 universities ranked — up nearly 10 rankings from 21st in 2006. The ranking also classes McGill as North America's best public university and the only Canadian university ranked among the world's top 30. Ten other Canadian universities made the top 200, four of them for the first time this year.

Since the launch of the THES annual rankings in 2004, McGill has been the only Canadian school to appear annually among the top 25 in the world, consistently improving from 24th in 2005 to 21st in 2006, to 12th in this year's rankings. This year, Harvard was again ranked number one in the world, with Oxford, Cambridge and Yale tied for second. Among the top 20, McGill ranked ahead of Duke, Johns Hopkins, Stanford and Cornell. Among other Canadian universities in the top 50, the University of British Columbia was 33rd and the University of Toronto was 45th.

"This news is particularly gratifying coming from the Times Higher-QS, which is respected the world over," said McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum. "At a time when universities are generating knowledge and talent for a global marketplace and for a society seeking solutions to increasingly complex problems through research and innovation, this recognition of McGill's role as a world leader is a tribute to the exceptional quality and commitment of our students, faculty and staff."

The Times Higher-QS annual ranking is a composite indicator that integrates peer review and opinion with quantitative data. Forty per cent of the total ranking score is based on academic peer review, gathered this year from 5,101 academics worldwide. Another 20 per cent is awarded for research excellence measured by citations tracked and supplied by Scopus, a leading supplier of such data. A further 10 per cent of the score is derived from a survey of active graduate recruiters for major global and national employers, 1,471 of whom this year responded to questions about which institutions they prefer to hire from. The university's staff-to-student ratio — a classic gauge of an institution's commitment to teaching — is also worth 20 per cent. Finally, the survey allots five percentage points for number of staff who come from other countries and a further five for percentage of overseas students.

The Times Higher Education Supplement is owned by TSL Education, formerly a division of News International, owners of the Times of London. In October 2005, it was sold to a private equity group and now operates independently from the Times. QS, Quacquarelli Symonds — is a world-leading careers and education specialist and provides guidance for higher education and career choices.

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