Top 10 Public Universities in Canada

Discover the top 10 public universities in Canada, offering affordable yet world-class education options for international students. These universities come with beautiful campuses, modern facilities, and offer advanced programs in various disciplines.

Top 10 Public Universities in Canada
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Apr 14, 2023 06:35 PM
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Public universities in Canada make for an affordable yet world-class education option for international students. Not just that, having a degree from a public university in Canada increases your value in the job market as well. The Canadian public universities come with beautiful campuses, modern facilities and offer advanced programs in various disciplines. All these factors make these universities much sought-after.
In this blog, we explore the top 10 public universities in Canada.

1. University of Toronto

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Source: Daily Hive
The University of Toronto is located in Queen’s Park and is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The University is the oldest in Ontario and was established by royal charter in 1827 as King’s College. It comprises eleven colleges and has two satellite campuses in Scarborough and Mississauga. The University has Summer and Fall intakes for its Master’s program.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 25
Master’s Program List
  • Accounting
  • Arts
  • Science
  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Engineering
  • Classics
  • Psychology
  • Dentistry
  • Forestry
  • French Language and Literature
  • Law
  • Linguistics
  • Management Analytics
  • Mathematics
  • Medical
  • Museum Studies
  • Music
  • Women and Gender Studies

2. McGill University

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Source: US News and World Report
The McGill University was founded in 1821 by the royal charter by King George IV and is a public research university situated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. McGill’s main campus is on the Mount Royal slope in downtown Montreal and the second campus is located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue on Montreal Island. It also has another campus at Mcdonald. McGill University accepts applicants mainly for fall intake. Only some programs have summer and winter intake.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 31
Master’s Program List
  • Interfaculty Studies
  • Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
  • Arts
  • Dentistry
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Law
  • Desautels Faculty of Management
  • Medicine and Health Sciences
  • Schulich School of Music
  • Science
  • Master of Journalism and Social Communication

3. University of British Columbia

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Source: UCB Grad School- The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia was established in 1908 and is a public research university located in Vancouver and Kelowna, British Columbia. The University of British Columbia ranks as British Columbia’s oldest University and among the top three universities in Canada, making it one of the most popular public universities in Canada.
The University has two campuses, one in Vancouver and the other at Okanagan, and offers summer, winter, and fall intakes for the Master’s programs.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 45
Master’s Program List
  • Accounting
  • Architecture
  • Arts
  • Science
  • Astronomy
  • Biochemistry
  • Botany
  • Business Administration
  • Cinema and Media Studies
  • Civil Engineering
  • Classics
  • CompScience
  • Econuter science
  • Data omics
  • Engineering
  • Forestry
  • French
  • Guitar
  • Harpsichord
  • Health Sciences
  • Journalism
  • Kinesiology
  • Law
  • Library and Information Studies
  • Management Information Systems
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Mathematics Education
  • Medicine
  • Music
  • Nursing
  • Nursing- Nurse Practitioner
  • Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

4. University de Montreal

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Source: GoToUniversity
The University de Montreal is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is a French-language public university founded in 1878. The University comprises thirteen faculties and has more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools. The main campus is on the Mount Royal slope in Outremont and Cote-des-Neiges. Fall, summer, and winter are the intakes in the University de Montreal.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 118
Master’s Program List
  • Arts
  • Science
  • Finance
  • Music
  • Engineering

5. University of Alberta

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Source: Scholarship Positions
The University of Alberta is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and is a public research university founded by Alexander Cameron Rutherford and Henry Marshall Tory in 1908. The University of Alberta is believed to be a comprehensive academic and research university as it offers a variety of academic and professional programs in undergraduate and graduate programs.
There are four campuses of the University in Edmonton, a staff center in downtown Calgary and the Augustana Campus in Camrose.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 119
Master’s Program List
  • Religious studies
  • Psychology
  • Science
  • Arts
  • Finance
  • Medicine
  • Engineering
  • Nursing
  • Music
  • Medical Sciences
  • Law
  • Library
  • Humanities
  • Dentistry
  • Business

6. McMaster University

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Source: Brighter World- McMaster University
McMaster University is located in Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the public universities in Canada, established in 1887. The main campus is located adjacent to land near Botanical Gardens and near Ainslie Wood and Westdale’s residential neighborhoods. There are six academic faculties, the DeGroote School of Business, Health Sciences, Engineering, Humanities, Science and Social Science.
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QS World Ranking 2021: 144
Master’s Program List
  • Health Sciences
  • School of Business
  • Humanities
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences

7. University of Waterloo

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Source: Eurekalert
The University of Waterloo was established in 1959 and is a public research university with the main campus situated in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The University operates three campuses and four affiliated university colleges and is the most extensive post-secondary co-operative education program globally.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 144
Master’s Program List
  • Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Engineering
  • Theology
  • Theology
  • Applied Health Sciences

8. Western University

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Source: Global News
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1878 by Bishop Issac Hellmuth of Huron’s Anglican Diocese. Initially, the campus had four faculties Arts, Divinity, Law, and Medicine. The main campus of the University is surrounded by a residential neighborhood and the Thames River, making it unique among the public universities in Canada.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 203
Master’s Program List
  • Arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Applied Health Sciences
  • Medicine
  • Law

9. Queen's University

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Source: Canadian Business
The Queen’s University was established in 1841 by the royal charter from Queen Victoria and is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The University has ten undergraduate, graduate, and professional faculties and schools. It is a co-educational university and has six campus libraries.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 245
Master’s Program List
  • Arts
  • Astrophysics and Astronomy
  • Computing
  • French Studies
  • Economics
  • Classics
  • Science
  • Political Studies

10. University of Calgary

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Source: Dailyhive
The University of Calgary was founded in 1908 and is a public research university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University’s main campus is in the northwest quadrant of the city close to the Bow River and has a smaller south campus in the city center.
The University has a firmer grip in petroleum and geoscience. It has Cumming School of Medicine, the Faculty of Law, the School of Public Policy, the Faculty of Arts, the Haskayne School of Business.
👉
QS World Ranking 2021: 246
Master’s Program List
  • Arts
  • Architecture
  • Science
  • Engineering
  • Biomedical Technology

Conclusion

These are the top 10 public universities in Canada as per QS Ranking. You can rely on their quality of education and look for the Master’s program you are interested in pursuing. Studying in a public university in Canada can help you shape your interests and your career subsequently. These universities have a lot to offer, not only in academics, but also in giving you an international experience.
To know about the top 10 Master’s programs to study in Canada, read:

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