Queen’s kept its overall spot in Maclean’s 2026 rankings, even as it dropped in measures like operating budget and total research dollars spent.
The University has retained its seventh-place position in the Maclean’s 2026 medical doctoral university rankings, as published on Oct. 14. The University was ranked only against Canadian schools that also have both medical schools and a broad range of PhD programs and research. McGill University, the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia occupied the top three placements, respectively.
In a statement to The Journal, the University wrote that “Queen’s continually focuses on providing an exceptional student learning experience, attracting and cultivating excellence and leadership, and delivering global impact by pushing the boundaries of knowledge through research—all in service to an inclusive, diverse and sustainable society.”
While the University’s overall ranking remains unchanged from last year, its position has shifted in seven of the twelve factors considered in determining the ultimate rankings. Queen’s even saw upward movement in categories like social sciences/humanities grants and student services.
But the University also saw downward movement in the medical/science grants, total research dollars, and operating budget categories. The fall from ninth to twelfth place in the operating budget ranking occurs in the wake of controversial budget cuts that have occurred in recent years.
The lowest placement Queen’s saw was in categories relating to student/faculty ratio and total research dollars, ranking fourteenth out of fifteen considered universities in each section. Despite specific questioning from The Journal, the University didn’t provide any justification for these lower placements.
Higher placements from the University occurred in the library expenses, scholarships and bursaries, reputational survey, student awards, and faculty awards categories—with Queen’s placing fifth in all five.
Maclean’s also made note of standout programs within each University, highlighting biomedical computing, mechatronics and robotics engineering, and environmental studies at Queen’s.
Further information regarding indicators factoring into the rankings can be found on the Maclean’s website.
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Budget, Maclean's Rankings, Maclean’s 2026 medical doctoral university rankings, University
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