Small Universities Rankings
22 universities · Maclean’s 2027 · Small Universities
2027 ranking comparison
| University · view history | Maclean’s 2027 | QS 2027 | THE 2027 | ARWU 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Allison University | 1 | — | — | — |
| University of Northern British Columbia | 2 | — | — | — |
| St. Francis Xavier University | 3 | — | — | — |
| Acadia University | 4 | — | — | — |
| University of New Brunswick | 5 | =677 | 701–800 | 901–1000 |
| Bishop’s University | 6 | — | — | — |
| Saint Mary’s University | 7 | — | — | — |
| Lakehead University | 8 | — | — | — |
| University of Lethbridge | 9 | — | — | — |
| University of Prince Edward Island | 10 | — | — | — |
| St. Thomas University | 11 | — | — | — |
| Université de Moncton | 12 | — | — | — |
| University of Winnipeg | 13 | — | — | — |
| Laurentian University | 14 | — | — | — |
| Nipissing University | 15 | — | — | — |
| Brandon University | 16 | — | — | — |
| Mount Saint Vincent University | 17 | — | — | — |
| University of the Fraser Valley | 18 | — | — | — |
| Cape Breton University | 19 | — | — | — |
| Algoma University | 20* | — | — | — |
| Concordia University of Edmonton | 20* | — | — | — |
| Vancouver Island University | 22 | — | — | — |
Editions, ties and unlisted entries
Maclean’s 2027 uses the new Large, Mid-Size and Small categories, with changes to university groupings. Each historical rank retains its edition and category; ranks across the changed categories are not presented as gains or losses. The 2027 ranks were checked against the publisher’s page text on October 14, 2026.
* indicates a tie; skipped ranks follow the source. — means this site has not compiled a verified rank for that cell, not that the university was unranked. Existing figures from other rankings are retained without recalculation.
Open each university for historical ranks. The 2022–2026 records retain their Primarily Undergraduate category; University of New Brunswick history retains Comprehensive. Trent and Ontario Tech history is retained on their pages in the Mid-Size group. The following notes concern the historical Primarily Undergraduate records.
The university pages retain the actual Maclean’s editions: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Edition labels differ from publication years: the 2026 edition was published in 2025. Sources checked on 5 October 2026.
An equals sign (=) marks a tie. The 2022 and 2023 editions each list 19 universities; Algoma does not appear in either. Each of the other three editions lists 20. An unlisted entry is not a last-place rank, and no other year’s rank has been carried forward.
The historical Primarily Undergraduate category focuses on undergraduate education and relatively few graduate programs; it can still include graduate or professional programs. Rankings compare institutions within the category. Consider program fit, cost, location, research and practical learning opportunities when choosing a university.
Sources by edition
- Maclean’s 2027 · Small Universities
- Maclean’s 2026: November 2025 issue, p. 75 (public National Magazine Awards copy)
- Maclean’s 2025: original publisher ranking
- Maclean’s 2024: public archive of the original publisher page
- Maclean’s 2023: public archive of the original publisher page
- Maclean’s 2022: original publisher ranking