Rankings and accolades
National and global academic rankings
Facts and figures
UCalgary by the numbers
Our university
The University of Calgary is one of Canada’s top comprehensive research universities, combining the best of university tradition with the city of Calgary’s vibrant energy and diversity. UCalgary’s main campus occupies a beautiful setting with a view of the Rocky Mountains, covering more than 200 hectares — an area larger than Calgary’s entire downtown.
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Founded in 1966
with origins in the early 1900s
33,000+ students
26,000+ undergraduate students and 6000+ graduate students
Mo shùile togam suas
Univeristy motto (in Gaelic) – I will lift up my eyes
1,800+ academic staff
actively engaged in research, scholarship and teaching
3,200+ non-academic staff
focused on operating the institution and delivering against our core mandate
202,500+ alumni
2/3 live or work in the Calgary area
$1.3 billion consolidated budget
contributes at least $8 billion annually to Alberta's economy
Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)
The University of Calgary ranked in the 151-200 range internationally, and #7-8 nationally, ranked by Academic Ranking of World Universities for 2021.
Center for World University Rankings (CWUR)
The University of Calgary ranked 8th in Canada and 190th by the Center for World University Rankings for 2021-2022.
QS World Rankings
In June 2021, the QS World University Rankings 2022 were released. In this ranking, the University of Calgary placed 10th in Canada, and 235th in the world.
Times Higher Education (THE)
The University of Calgary ranked in the 201-250th category internationally, and 8th nationally by the Times Higher Education 2022 rankings.
U.S. News and World Report
The University of Calgary ranked in 169th place globally, (7th place in Canada) by U.S. News and World Report for 2022.
Canada's Top 50 Research Universities
The University of Calgary was ranked 5th nationally by Research Info. Source Inc. in 2020, on their Top 50 Research Universities in Canada list.
Alberta’s first Fair Trade Campus
Alberta’s top employers
(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
Canada's best diversity employers
(2017, 2018, 2019, 2020)
WorldatWork Alliance for WorkLife Progress Seal of Distinction
(2015, 2016, 2017)
In the news
UCalgary in top 200 universities globally | Oct. 28, 2019
University of Calgary ranks among the world’s top 200 universities | Oct. 4, 2019
UCalgary top 5 nationally in ARWU Shanghai Subject Rankings | July 12, 2019
QS and THE Golden Age rankings released | June 27, 2019
UCalgary ranked 128th in the world by Leiden University | May 31, 2019
UCalgary sports-related and veterinary sciences subjects among top in the world | March 1, 2019
Home of the Dinos
500 student athletes
compete on varsity teams each year
Top 5 in Canada
Academic All-Canadian student-athletes
14 Olympic and Paralympic medals
Brought home by Dinos student-athletes since 1976
Exceptional facilities
- Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning: the first building in Canada dedicated solely to improving post-secondary teaching and learning
- Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking: new initiative to immerse the campus in a bold and new approach to teaching, learning, discovery and knowledge sharing
- International Microbiome Centre: a translational research centre, unique in Canada, to study the microbiome and its impact on human and animal health
- W.A. Ranches: 19,000 acres of working cattle ranch that will anchor a world-class teaching, learning and research facility
- Energy Environment Experiential Learning Building: one of the largest LEED Platinum laboratories in North America
- Taylor Family Digital Library: the most technologically advanced library in North America
- Olympic Oval: home to the fastest ice in the world
- MacKimmie Tower: the redeveloped tower will be one of the most energy efficient buildings on a Canadian postsecondary campus, and along with the new MacKimmie link and block will strive to be net carbon neutral
- Child Development Centre: one of the most heavily instrumented buildings in North America
Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning
Our teaching and learning
- 250+ programs
- 95% undergraduate retention rate
- 78% 'good' or 'excellent' 1st-year student satisfaction
- 94.1% graduate employment rate, 80.4% of employed grads working in fields related to discipline
- 7.8 million items in library collections
- 18 Rhodes scholars to date
Research and scholarship
#5 Top research university in Canada
for sponsored research funding
$487.8 million
in sponsored research funding (2018-2019)
169
Research chairs
360
new inventions and innovations since 2017
Six focal areas address global priorities in:
- Energy innovations for today and tomorrow
- Human dynamics in a changing world
- Engineering solutions for health
- New Earth-space technologies
- Infections, inflammation and chronic diseases
- Brain and mental health
UCalgary also supports two emerging cross-cutting research areas:
- Child health and wellness and One Health
Our city
Denisse Leon
- Calgary, Alberta, population 1.4 million
- #1 most liveable city in North America and #5 in the world (2019 Global Liveability Ranking, Economics Intelligence Unit)
- 4th largest city in Canada, youngest population of major cities in Canada (Calgary Economic Development)
- Energy capital of Canada and global finance hub
- #3 most diverse city in Canada
- Most patents per capita in Canada (C.D. Howe Institute, 2018)
- Highest concentration of corporate head offices and small businesses per capita in Canada (Calgary Economic Development)
- 40 international consulate offices
- Largest urban pathway network in North America
- Home to Canada’s National Music Centre and the internationally renowned Calgary Stampede
- Sunniest city in Canada — over 333 days a year
- View this great video about Calgary prepared by our partners at Calgary Economic Development