The University of Alberta solidified its standing among the world's Top 100 universities in the newly released 2026 QS World University Rankings - continuing an upward trend in one of the most highly regarded university rankings.
The university tied for 94th in the world - up two places from last year and 111th in the 2024 rankings - and held steady at fourth in Canada, among 1,501 institutions and 29 Canadian schools included in the published rankings.
"Ranking among the top 100 universities in the world demonstrates the globally recognized impact of the University of Alberta," says U of A president Bill Flanagan.
The U of A's improvement this year was mainly the result of a gain in the category of academic reputation, which accounts for 30 per cent of the overall score.
"Our outstanding academic reputation stems from our concerted efforts to collaborate with scholars and researchers around the world, with the shared purpose of solving the world's most pressing challenges and shaping a better future for all," says Flanagan.
The U of A's highest-ranked indicator this year was sustainability, coming in at 58th worldwide based on the 2025 QS Sustainability Rankings. The U of A's 10-year strategic plan of impact, Shape, identifies sustainability as a core commitment, and the university's Sustainability Council leads learning opportunities and supports research across its colleges and faculties aimed toward achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
The U of A currently ranks eighth in the world, second in Canada and third in North America in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which rate universities' performance in research, stewardship, outreach and teaching toward achieving these global goals.
The university also ranked among the world's top 100 in the international research network category, placing 90th globally. This indicator assesses the richness and diversity of an institution's research partnerships. The U of A is engaged in global partnerships with thousands of organizations in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The university is a member of the Worldwide Universities Network, a higher education and research network with 25 member institutions spanning six continents, and the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, an organization representing 62 institutions with more than 200,000 faculty members.
In March, Times Higher Education ranked the U of A 46th in the world and fourth in Canada in its 2025 rankings of the world's most international universities.
QS World University Rankings have been released annually since 2004 by Quacquarelli Symonds, an international higher education consultant agency. For its 2026 ranking, QS evaluated 8,467 institutions in 106 locations with 19.8 million recorded academic publications.
