UBC jumps to 34th in QS World University Rankings 2024

The University of British Columbia has risen to 34th from 47th position in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings released today. 

This marks the first time that UBC has entered the top 40 of the global rankings amongst 1,503 institutions in 104 countries. The university ranks third amongst 31 Canadian institutions. 

“I am very proud of UBC’s position among the world’s top universities,” said Interim President and Vice-Chancellor of UBC, Prof. Deborah Buszard. “This ranking certainly shows that UBC is home to many of the world’s best and brightest students, faculty, and staff.”  

QS assesses universities using nine performance indicators: academic reputation (30 per cent), research citations per faculty member (20 per cent), employer reputation (15 per cent), employment outcomes (five per cent), student-to-faculty ratio (10 per cent), proportion of international faculty (five per cent), international research partnerships and collaborative research (five per cent), international students (five per cent), and sustainability (five per cent). This year, QS added a five per cent weight to the sustainability lens to reflect the crucial role universities play in charting the course and driving change towards a more sustainable future.

The university’s strong academic reputation propelled its position in the rankings, allowing it to place second in Canada and 24th globally. The academic reputation category is weighted most heavily and measures the quality of the university’s research, strength in communicating that research, and the impact of the research around the world.  

UBC ranks first in Canada and 37th globally in the international research network category, which recognizes the richness and diversity of a university’s international research partnerships and collaborations.  

The university’s sustainability initiatives played a pivotal role in bolstering its ranking. UBC ranks second in Canada and third globally in terms of overall impact on sustainability, according to the QS Sustainability rankings. 

“These rankings reflect not only UBC’s ongoing commitment to and leadership in sustainability and climate action, but also the importance of international research partnerships and collaborations with industry, NGOs, and government to help find solutions to the world’s most urgent problems,” says Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice-President, Research and Innovation. “We are proud of all of our researchers, students, and staff who have been leading this important work.” 

Through the Climate Action Plan 2030 and operational sustainability action plans, UBC actively implements operational initiatives to effectively reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions, water usage, waste reduction, and foster the ecological well-being of the campus community. 

“UBC proudly embraces its legacy of sustainability leadership by implementing ambitious sustainability plans, policies, and programs on campus that model innovation for scaling that have impact globally. We are dedicated to driving transformative change, addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis, and shaping a just and sustainable future,” said John Madden, Director of Sustainability and Engineering at UBC Campus and Community Planning.

For more information on the QS rankings, click here.