University of British Columbia: Rankings

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The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd in Canada, 29th in the global 2025 rating, and scored in the TOP 10 across 12 research topics. The University of British Columbia ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 306,367 academic publications and 12,195,827 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 474 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#29 of 14,131 In the World
#25 of 2,597 In North America
#2 of 101 In Canada
#1 of 16 In British Columbia
#1 of 3 In Vancouver
#2 of 1,562 For Media Studies
#4 of 1,302 For Sports / Exercise science
#5 of 3,409 For Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation
#140 of 7,918 For Alumni Impact
#34 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top10 For 9 other topics

Jump to topical rankings below

Acceptance rate and other statistics

Biology rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Biology in Canada and 28th in the World with 181,847 publications made and 8,185,350 citations received. Main research topics: Genetics, Biochemistry, Paleontology, Neuroscience, Immunology.

Biology ranking Location
#2 of 89 In Canada
#23 of 1,698 In North America
#28 of 6,833 In the World

University of British Columbia
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1992 1629 25174
1993 1683 25933
1994 1686 29091
1995 1697 33113
1996 1895 34724
1997 1956 38873
1998 2034 44686
1999 2053 51420
2000 2190 58561
2001 2252 63366
2002 2513 73050
2003 2785 84198
2004 3064 92042
2005 3433 105631
2006 3989 120878
2007 4320 136946
2008 4623 158107
2009 4851 178178
2010 5469 204069
2011 5641 231751
2012 5925 264036
2013 6205 294877
2014 6536 323417
2015 6805 345840
2016 6921 363462
2017 7326 388597
2018 7873 418007
2019 8486 466029
2020 9693 569643
2021 10176 643002
2022 9506 627329
2023 9375 633054
2024 7860 582830

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Biology.

Biology subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 1 5 5
Forestry 1 8 12
Microbiology 2 12 12
Zoology 1 8 14
Paleontology 2 13 15
Botany 2 15 19
Toxicology 2 17 21
Neuroscience 3 19 23
Evolutionary Biology 2 20 24
Pharmacology 2 21 25
Animal Science 4 23 32
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 3 24 33
Biochemistry 2 26 34
Genetics 2 26 34
Immunology 2 28 35
Agricultural Science 2 24 36
Biotechnology 3 26 36
Virology 2 30 41
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 2 29 42
Biophysics 3 39 49
Molecular Biology 3 39 50
Nutrition and Food Science 4 24 52
Oncology and Cancer research 2 34 52
Horticulture 3 28 60
Entomology 3 36 62
Astrobiology 3 44 69
Nanotechnology 5 45 132

Medicine rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Medicine in Canada and 28th in the World with 156,147 publications made and 6,674,147 citations received. Main research topics: Pathology, Psychiatry, Surgery, Immunology, Public Health.

Medicine ranking Location
#2 of 85 In Canada
#24 of 1,685 In North America
#28 of 6,775 In the World

University of British Columbia
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1992 1219 18023
1993 1240 18823
1994 1283 20856
1995 1266 23874
1996 1395 25785
1997 1479 28842
1998 1565 33619
1999 1603 38677
2000 1630 44628
2001 1758 48284
2002 1984 55402
2003 2077 64188
2004 2423 70474
2005 2715 80504
2006 3167 92843
2007 3378 104849
2008 3824 122919
2009 3986 139533
2010 4527 161414
2011 4749 184499
2012 5214 211867
2013 5464 238728
2014 5832 263906
2015 6052 284993
2016 6345 298910
2017 6704 321645
2018 7263 341662
2019 7835 381773
2020 8986 480351
2021 9664 543209
2022 9053 531042
2023 9040 533639
2024 7900 489636

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Medicine.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Canada and 20th in the World with 134,349 publications made and 5,149,484 citations received. Main research topics: Political Science, Sociology, Law, Philosophy, History.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#2 of 91 In Canada
#16 of 1,852 In North America
#20 of 7,081 In the World

University of British Columbia
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Publications & Citations

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1992 990 11050
1993 1034 11510
1994 1159 13357
1995 1063 14432
1996 1156 15702
1997 1221 16564
1998 1231 18930
1999 1331 22228
2000 1389 26691
2001 1474 29811
2002 1836 37588
2003 1972 43443
2004 2219 48459
2005 2431 57642
2006 2902 68041
2007 3131 78402
2008 3424 93012
2009 3427 107066
2010 4019 123271
2011 4284 143216
2012 4421 163663
2013 4730 185848
2014 4941 207348
2015 5167 223023
2016 5327 230629
2017 5862 250371
2018 6239 271685
2019 6560 308946
2020 7422 376485
2021 8064 423738
2022 7326 408021
2023 7397 418878
2024 5542 359319

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Chemistry rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Chemistry in Canada and 36th in the World with 129,346 publications made and 5,863,857 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Materials Science, Physical chemistry, Chemical Engineering.

Chemistry ranking Location
#2 of 83 In Canada
#26 of 1,530 In North America
#36 of 6,545 In the World

University of British Columbia
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1992 1386 21075
1993 1413 21930
1994 1412 24674
1995 1413 27666
1996 1576 29100
1997 1594 32461
1998 1606 36573
1999 1641 41719
2000 1690 46583
2001 1730 49970
2002 1960 56764
2003 2142 65344
2004 2278 70827
2005 2526 79856
2006 2979 89857
2007 3178 99539
2008 3379 114458
2009 3466 127655
2010 3794 145478
2011 4035 164339
2012 4120 184869
2013 4231 206570
2014 4431 226603
2015 4625 240440
2016 4584 255631
2017 4686 270510
2018 5101 292537
2019 5394 322500
2020 6110 385586
2021 6366 438604
2022 6207 428567
2023 6124 435701
2024 4742 399710

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Chemistry.

Chemistry subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Petrology and Geochemistry 2 12 27
Biochemistry 2 26 34
Organic Chemistry 2 28 47
Nutrition and Food Science 4 24 52
Environmental Chemistry 4 29 60
Polymer science and Plastics engineering 3 28 64
Materials Science 2 30 69
Biochemical Engineering 4 34 78
Inorganic Chemistry 3 24 80
Radiochemistry 3 15 87
Physical chemistry 4 32 94
Chemical Engineering 3 30 98
Computational Chemistry 5 53 116
Pharmacy 4 36 127
Nanotechnology 5 45 132

Engineering rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Engineering in Canada and 46th in the World with 117,948 publications made and 4,637,390 citations received. Main research topics: Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering ranking Location
#2 of 86 In Canada
#28 of 1,651 In North America
#46 of 6,782 In the World

University of British Columbia
Engineering Publications & Citations

Year Engineering publications Engineering citations
1992 1113 13917
1993 1122 14207
1994 1155 16373
1995 1155 17962
1996 1204 19379
1997 1275 20780
1998 1305 22512
1999 1323 25238
2000 1331 28827
2001 1326 30257
2002 2135 39460
2003 1935 43782
2004 2082 48536
2005 2380 57726
2006 2860 66215
2007 3053 75124
2008 3187 87669
2009 3247 99183
2010 3818 115034
2011 3907 131116
2012 3912 150104
2013 4184 170370
2014 4225 188107
2015 4623 201885
2016 4414 214008
2017 4518 225703
2018 4874 248798
2019 5043 274876
2020 5639 323150
2021 6024 365900
2022 5510 350900
2023 5537 362813
2024 4072 330772

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Engineering.

Engineering subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Mining Engineering 1 2 10
Technical Drawing 1 9 20
Human-Computer Interaction 2 13 21
Geotechnical Engineering 1 11 23
Civil Engineering 2 13 24
Transportation Engineering 2 14 28
Environmental Engineering 3 12 29
Aerospace Engineering 2 22 30
Architectural Engineering 2 9 31
Biotechnology 3 26 36
Telecommunications 2 19 37
Aviation 2 19 38
Systems Engineering 2 23 39
Acoustical Engineering 2 25 41
Computer Networking 3 28 41
Mechanical Engineering 2 24 41
Computer Engineering 2 24 47
Remote Sensing 1 27 49
Operations Research 3 26 50
Robotics 3 18 50
Construction Management 2 19 51
Landscape Architecture 3 18 55
Architecture 3 24 55
Automation and Control engineering 3 18 56
Structural Engineering 2 25 56
Engineering Management 2 34 59
Polymer science and Plastics engineering 3 28 64
Optical Engineering 2 35 66
Reliability and Quality Engineering 5 31 67
Metallurgical Engineering 2 28 67
Materials Science 2 30 69
Petroleum Engineering 6 34 69
Electronic Engineering 4 33 70
Marine Engineering 2 22 73
Electrical Engineering 3 34 76
Biochemical Engineering 4 34 78
Renewable Energy Engineering 5 23 80
Biomedical Engineering 3 45 82
Agricultural Engineering 3 32 95
Chemical Engineering 3 30 98
Automotive Engineering 4 27 105
Nanotechnology 5 45 132
Industrial Engineering 10 44 135
Applied/Engineering Physics 4 56 151
Nuclear Engineering 6 40 152
Firefighting and Fire Science 7 55 171
Product and Industrial Design 9 71 201

Computer Science rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Computer Science in Canada and 25th in the World with 117,080 publications made and 5,044,076 citations received. Main research topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Neuroscience, Machine Learning, Telecommunications, Computer Vision.

Computer Science ranking Location
#2 of 86 In Canada
#21 of 1,698 In North America
#25 of 6,845 In the World

University of British Columbia
Computer Science Publications & Citations

Year Computer Science publications Computer Science citations
1992 937 14074
1993 960 14144
1994 982 16000
1995 922 17745
1996 975 18547
1997 1054 19715
1998 1055 21968
1999 1131 24401
2000 1132 27408
2001 1223 29965
2002 2010 40255
2003 1931 44591
2004 2011 49033
2005 2369 58581
2006 2788 69999
2007 2985 80638
2008 3171 92674
2009 3267 106867
2010 3776 124308
2011 3859 142168
2012 4045 162360
2013 4174 182315
2014 4306 202494
2015 4643 216211
2016 4606 227147
2017 4865 241357
2018 5209 267785
2019 5627 296880
2020 6158 356730
2021 6514 399194
2022 6022 381170
2023 6262 390935
2024 4664 343271

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Computer Science.

Environmental Science rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Environmental Science in Canada and 16th in the World with 114,573 publications made and 4,717,792 citations received. Main research topics: Geology, Geography and Cartography, Ecology, Paleontology, Oceanography.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#2 of 90 In Canada
#13 of 1,721 In North America
#16 of 6,876 In the World

University of British Columbia
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1992 923 11933
1993 1054 12039
1994 1040 13643
1995 1066 15304
1996 1170 16844
1997 1180 18195
1998 1228 20488
1999 1225 23987
2000 1375 28655
2001 1318 30815
2002 1734 37824
2003 1780 43212
2004 1933 48302
2005 2166 56528
2006 2549 66156
2007 2739 74941
2008 2920 88757
2009 2979 101087
2010 3359 116109
2011 3594 135001
2012 3709 153971
2013 3828 175725
2014 4131 194576
2015 4370 207825
2016 4322 220402
2017 4612 236029
2018 5020 257633
2019 5348 291705
2020 5936 350179
2021 6489 401116
2022 5892 387137
2023 5956 394682
2024 4393 357866

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Environmental Science.

Physics rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Physics in Canada and 49th in the World with 110,411 publications made and 4,383,857 citations received. Main research topics: Quantum and Particle physics, Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Nuclear Physics.

Physics ranking Location
#2 of 86 In Canada
#30 of 1,617 In North America
#49 of 6,713 In the World

University of British Columbia
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1992 1089 14607
1993 1149 14905
1994 1133 17019
1995 1161 18493
1996 1216 20130
1997 1243 21459
1998 1290 23212
1999 1294 25823
2000 1298 28871
2001 1248 30646
2002 1876 38170
2003 1856 43468
2004 1905 48248
2005 2251 56568
2006 2628 64121
2007 2775 71920
2008 2937 84012
2009 3026 94213
2010 3469 107294
2011 3544 123363
2012 3633 140787
2013 3750 160405
2014 3868 176674
2015 4185 190130
2016 4035 201526
2017 4073 211307
2018 4324 232342
2019 4573 253182
2020 5167 294999
2021 5372 331369
2022 4916 314224
2023 5040 330871
2024 3859 305603

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Physics.

Physics subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Theoretical Physics 1 17 23
Medical Physics 3 26 34
Acoustical Engineering 2 25 41
Astrophysics and Astronomy 2 31 43
Biophysics 3 39 49
Quantum and Particle physics 2 33 58
Optical Engineering 2 35 66
Astrobiology 3 44 69
Materials Science 2 30 69
Nuclear Physics 2 41 81
Atomic and Molecular physics 3 44 87
Condensed Matter Physics 2 38 89
Nanotechnology 5 45 132
Applied/Engineering Physics 4 56 151

Psychology rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Psychology in Canada and 17th in the World with 88,819 publications made and 3,856,288 citations received. Main research topics: Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Child Psychology, Clinical Psychology.

Psychology ranking Location
#2 of 87 In Canada
#15 of 1,645 In North America
#17 of 6,645 In the World

University of British Columbia
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1992 704 12056
1993 673 12008
1994 695 13535
1995 681 15320
1996 723 15923
1997 794 17333
1998 813 19305
1999 822 21290
2000 832 23857
2001 933 26181
2002 1090 31132
2003 1202 35560
2004 1466 38630
2005 1537 44911
2006 1829 53135
2007 2035 61303
2008 2248 71552
2009 2322 81995
2010 2761 95792
2011 2734 108952
2012 2898 125378
2013 3008 139101
2014 3351 154990
2015 3520 167573
2016 3589 172415
2017 3971 185845
2018 4255 200828
2019 4559 224767
2020 5173 280938
2021 5569 309109
2022 5112 298674
2023 5094 304602
2024 4043 270450

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Psychology.

Psychology subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Sexology 2 11 11
Occupational Therapy 4 9 14
Social Psychology 2 13 14
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 2 10 16
Clinical Psychology 2 16 18
Child Psychology 2 18 20
Education Majors 2 18 20
Cognitive Science 2 17 20
Neuroscience 3 19 23
Psychiatry 3 20 24
Special Education 2 18 32
Social Work 3 27 37
Organizational / Business / IO Psychology 5 42 60

Mathematics rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Mathematics in Canada and 30th in the World with 57,952 publications made and 2,471,177 citations received. Main research topics: Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Math Teachers, Applied Mathematics, Blockchain and Cryptography.

Mathematics ranking Location
#2 of 81 In Canada
#27 of 1,491 In North America
#30 of 6,418 In the World

University of British Columbia
Mathematics Publications & Citations

Year Mathematics publications Mathematics citations
1992 342 4456
1993 385 4735
1994 397 5308
1995 353 5700
1996 429 6733
1997 457 6935
1998 491 7874
1999 519 8961
2000 483 10603
2001 548 11542
2002 940 16504
2003 912 17938
2004 885 19940
2005 1155 24555
2006 1338 29532
2007 1464 33457
2008 1554 40085
2009 1648 46194
2010 1760 53408
2011 1844 62697
2012 1984 70598
2013 2157 81093
2014 2322 92306
2015 2412 101254
2016 2452 105354
2017 2565 111971
2018 2797 125252
2019 3122 140858
2020 3350 169624
2021 3587 192794
2022 3399 183054
2023 3448 186564
2024 2174 136643

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Mathematics.

Mathematics subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Statistics 2 26 29
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 2 27 31
Math Teachers 2 25 36
Applied Mathematics 3 26 42
Operations Research 3 26 50
Actuarial Science 4 44 60
Blockchain and Cryptography 5 44 100

Business rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Business in Canada and 29th in the World with 40,113 publications made and 1,543,249 citations received. Main research topics: Management, Finance, Marketing, Accounting, Management Information Systems.

Business ranking Location
#2 of 83 In Canada
#25 of 1,460 In North America
#29 of 6,339 In the World

University of British Columbia
Business Publications & Citations

Year Business publications Business citations
1992 312 3316
1993 339 3479
1994 294 3975
1995 330 4565
1996 351 4907
1997 362 5243
1998 379 5846
1999 440 6613
2000 399 8146
2001 423 8895
2002 743 12400
2003 695 14145
2004 690 15318
2005 772 18207
2006 954 21850
2007 1011 24742
2008 1128 29742
2009 1179 34429
2010 1326 40009
2011 1411 46474
2012 1459 51904
2013 1462 58341
2014 1563 65256
2015 1666 69808
2016 1573 71120
2017 1765 76037
2018 1844 83802
2019 1938 91650
2020 2124 109038
2021 2324 122131
2022 2068 114361
2023 2083 118135
2024 1390 90937

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Business.

Economics rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Economics in Canada and 26th in the World with 35,602 publications made and 1,366,622 citations received. Main research topics: Development Studies, Finance, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Political Economy, International Trade.

Economics ranking Location
#2 of 83 In Canada
#22 of 1,438 In North America
#26 of 6,167 In the World

University of British Columbia
Economics Publications & Citations

Year Economics publications Economics citations
1992 245 2738
1993 277 2788
1994 245 3317
1995 257 3762
1996 304 3975
1997 291 4296
1998 335 4910
1999 345 5430
2000 306 6972
2001 348 7580
2002 455 9421
2003 507 11527
2004 567 12558
2005 622 14665
2006 787 17195
2007 863 20076
2008 969 23696
2009 941 27523
2010 1087 32092
2011 1190 37175
2012 1136 41991
2013 1254 47831
2014 1349 53815
2015 1432 57648
2016 1415 59187
2017 1637 63457
2018 1694 69351
2019 1757 78235
2020 2131 95483
2021 2376 109018
2022 2038 102837
2023 2072 107315
2024 1385 83010

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Economics.

Art & Design rankings

The University of British Columbia ranked 2nd for Art & Design in Canada and 21st in the World with 22,391 publications made and 618,250 citations received. Main research topics: Fashion Design, Literature, Aesthetics, Art History, Computer Graphics.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

Art & Design ranking Location
#2 of 83 In Canada
#18 of 1,444 In North America
#21 of 5,966 In the World

University of British Columbia
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1992 154 1561
1993 160 1513
1994 214 1847
1995 180 2060
1996 200 2189
1997 247 2439
1998 227 2673
1999 210 2900
2000 243 3513
2001 243 4078
2002 379 5350
2003 390 6161
2004 454 6790
2005 473 8323
2006 554 9851
2007 535 11522
2008 599 12928
2009 637 15666
2010 758 17635
2011 790 20083
2012 788 22948
2013 789 26010
2014 853 28340
2015 863 30154
2016 838 30899
2017 967 33001
2018 1013 36062
2019 1004 41332
2020 1085 48955
2021 1175 54117
2022 1078 51118
2023 1103 52473
2024 755 48658

The following table provides academic rankings for The University of British Columbia in various areas of Art & Design.

Art & Design subfield Canada ranking North America ranking World rank
Creative Writing 2 5 8
Animation 2 8 10
Fashion Design 2 17 20
Aesthetics 2 19 22
Literature 2 18 23
Computer Graphics 2 17 24
Performing arts 3 23 30
Game Design and Development 4 21 34
Music 4 24 39
UX/UI Desgin 4 24 40
Multimedia 4 31 44
Cinematography 2 17 47
Photography 3 27 48
Art History 4 35 50
Landscape Architecture 3 18 55
Architecture 3 24 55
Graphic Design 6 42 72
Entertainment Industry Business 8 57 102
Painting and Drawing 3 35 107
Sculpture 3 35 107
Interior Design 5 30 108
Singing and Vocal Performance 8 52 109
Illustration and Concept Art 3 36 111