The University of Waterloo was recognized in the Global University Visibility rankings as the 5th most visible university among its Canadian peers.
The Global University Visibility rankings are developed by American Caldwell, a higher education market research firm headquartered in Washington, DC. They measured how effectively a university communicates its story to the world using performance indicators such as news coverage, Google searches, website traffic and social media followers.
"Waterloo has a unique story to share. We have the largest co-op program at a research-intensive university in the world, and we consistently rank number one among Canadian universities for producing the most successful entrepreneurs," says Eleanor McMahon, vice-president of University Relations. "Telling our story showing the world what makes Waterloo unique is an important priority for the University in building strong global partnerships and recruiting the next generation of students."
A universities' brand name and recognition are an essential part of prospective students' post-secondary search process, according to American Caldwell. Some notable statistics that put Waterloo at the top compared to other Canadian universities are:
- #4 most popular website with 7.1 million visitors
- #5 largest social media following with nearly 700,000 followers
- #5 news coverage with more than 8,500 news mentions
Overall, Waterloo ranks 64th globally for brand visibility, putting it in the top 10 per cent of universities. Waterloo's visibility is attributed to the research breakthroughs, innovations and successes of its accomplished alumni, students and faculty. This ranking helps to quantify how their impact as part of the Waterloo community is seen around the world.
"Waterloo is known as a leading global research-intensive university that prioritizes co-op, and entrepreneurship programming. This attracts and inspires curious students and scholars who want to innovate and push the boundaries of what's possible. We want them to come and discover their story at Waterloo," McMahon says.
Data were collected from March 2023 to March 2024. Visit the Global University Visibility rankings to see the complete global list.
