Photograph Courtesy of Emily Carr
Canada’s Best Universities in 2026 by Operating Budget
This measure looks at the money available at each school for current expenses compared to the size of the student body
These figures show university operating expenditures per full-time-equivalent student. Students are weighted according to their level of study—bachelor, master’s or doctorate—and their program of study.
MEDICAL DOCTORAL
| University | Rank | Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|
| UBC | 1 | 20,874 |
| Saskatchewan | 2 | 17,829 |
| Toronto | 3 | 17,189 |
| Manitoba | 4 | 16,514 |
| Dalhousie | 5 | 16,334 |
| Alberta | 6 | 16,054 |
| McGill | 7 | 14,983 |
| Ottawa | 8 | 14,624 |
| Western | 9 | 14,559 |
| Calgary | 10 | 14,423 |
| Sherbrooke | 11 | 14,037 |
| Queen's | 12 | 14,012 |
| McMaster | 13 | 13,634 |
| Montreal | 14 | 12,686 |
| Laval | 15 | 11,846 |
COMPREHENSIVE
| University | Rank | Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Fraser | 1 | 20,223 |
| Memorial | 2 | 17,601 |
| New Brunswick | 3 | 17,462 |
| Victoria | 4 | 17,310 |
| York | 5 | 16,724 |
| Toronto Metropolitan | 6 | 15,030 |
| Regina | 7 | 14,558 |
| Waterloo | 8 | 14,110 |
| Brock | 9 | 13,893 |
| Carleton | 10 | 13,647 |
| Wilfrid Laurier | 11 | 13,373 |
| UQAM | 12 | 12,985 |
| Guelph | 13 | 12,060 |
| Concordia | 14 | 11,666 |
| Windsor | 15 | 11,352 |
PRIMARILY UNDERGRADUATE
| University | Rank | Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Algoma | 1 | 43,826 |
| St. Thomas | 2 | 24,225 |
| UNBC | 3 | 23,726 |
| Mount Allison | 4 | 22,068 |
| Bishop's | 5 | 19,936 |
| Moncton | 6 | 19,221 |
| Acadia | 7 | 18,616 |
| UPEI | 8 | 18,423 |
| St. Francis Xavier | 9 | 17,111 |
| Saint Mary's | 10 | 16,639 |
| Brandon | 11 | 16,424 |
| Winnipeg | 12 | 15,162 |
| Laurentian | 13 | 15,118 |
| Mount Saint Vincent | 14 | 14,958 |
| Lethbridge | 15 | 14,642 |
| Nipissing | 16 | 14,090 |
| Cape Breton | 17 | 13,797 |
| Lakehead | 18 | 13,623 |
| Trent | 19 | 12,165 |
| Ontario Tech | 20 | 10,060 |