best public universities in canada
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Bhargavi Ram

Updated 3+ months ago

International students are well aware that there are a considerable number of best public universities in Canada. Pursuing one’s education from a public university has its own pros and cons. The cultural diversity, array of courses and disciplines to choose from, affordability, higher acceptance rate and international recognition are some of the reasons why students opt for public universities. The slight drawback that the students face is the faculty-to-student ratio as it is usually more than 1:300 in most of the courses because of the huge student population. Some of the best public universities in Canada:

  1. University of Toronto: Known for its state-of-the-art research facilities and diverse programs the university is considered to be one of the best public universities in Canada. They offer more than 180 programs under Bachelor’s, Master’s and research programs. The annual tuition fee is around INR 35 Lakhs. 
  2. University of British Columbia: renowned for its beautiful campus and globally recognised course curriculum the university offers an array of courses starting from Engineering, Science, Humanities, Law and many more.
  3. McGill University - Located in Montreal offers strong research programs in arts and science and is established for its achievements in the same. The main admission criteria here are based on one’s academic achievements rather than the recommendations or extracurricular achievements.
  4. The University of Alberta - founded in the year 1908 is famous for its research strengths in energy, environment, health, and artificial intelligence. With an above 60% acceptance rate the university. The university has exceptional professors who are experts in their field with industrial experience.
  5. University of Waterloo ranks #1 in Canada for its industrial connection and experiential learning. The campus spanning over 1000 acres has hundreds of buildings which is a place for extraordinary facilities including state-of-the-art laboratories research facilities, libraries and many more. The university is easily accessible and is in a prime location which plays a key role in securing high-paying jobs.
  6. Western University is considered to be one of the best public universities in Canada because of its strong reputation in the fields of business, health sciences and social sciences. With an annual tuition fee of around INR 23 lakhs, the living expenses are under INR 5 Lakhs.
  7. Queen's University - is a public research university that was established in 1841 and accepts a large chunk of international students. Students are expected to hold satisfactory scores in their previous education. The university promises to be a worthy investment with high returns.
  8. Simon Fraser University - is known for its co-op education programs and strengths in communication, business, and environmental science. With three campuses at Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver the university offers an array of courses. The cost of attendance at SFU for international students is around INR 10 Lakhs.
  9. The University of Ottawa - is the largest bilingual university in Canada and is recognized as one of the best public universities in Canada for its law, health sciences, and social sciences programs.
  10. The University of Calgary is renowned for its research expertise in the fields of energy, environment, and biomedical engineering.

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Found 193 universities

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RankingCollege InfoTop CoursesFees & Cost of Living
#21/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Toronto, Toronto

6.0(Based on 82 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada43%Acceptance Rate
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL93
View 178 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$56,025/Yr)$40.9K/Yr
Living
(CA$13,491/Yr)$9.8K/Yr
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#41/3118 THE Ranking 2026

McGill University, Montreal

9.0(Based on 26 User Reviews)Quebec, Canada46%Acceptance Rate
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
View 126 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$40,405/Yr)$29.5K/Yr
Living
(CA$875/Yr)$638.75/Yr
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#45/3118 THE Ranking 2026

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver

7.0(Based on 106 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada54%Acceptance Rate
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5PTE65
View 182 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$37,161/Yr)$27.1K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,536/Yr)$12.1K/Yr
Check Admission Requirements
#116/3118 THE Ranking 2026

McMaster University, Hamilton

8.3(Based on 29 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada59%Acceptance Rate
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL88PTE70
View 121 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$43,806/Yr)$32K/Yr
Living
(CA$15,470/Yr)$11.3K/Yr
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#119/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Alberta, Edmonton

10.0(Based on 21 User Reviews)Alberta, Canada58%Acceptance Rate
MBA
Course duration:
20 months
Exams Accepted:
GMAT550TOEFL100PTE68
View 137 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$28,592/Yr)$20.9K/Yr
Living
(CA$19,344/Yr)$14.1K/Yr
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#150/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Montreal, Montreal

8.2(Based on 15 User Reviews)Quebec, Canada57%Acceptance Rate
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
View 111 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$27,293/Yr)$19.9K/Yr
Living
(CA$12,000/Yr)$8.8K/Yr
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#162/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Waterloo, Waterloo

9.7(Based on 58 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada53%Acceptance Rate
MMath Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL93
View 82 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$47,201/Yr)$34.5K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,020/Yr)$11.7K/Yr
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#187/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Ottawa, Ottawa

8.0(Based on 38 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada80%Acceptance Rate
MCS
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo120IELTS7PTE60
View 130 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$25,536/Yr)$18.6K/Yr
Living
(CA$15,758/Yr)$11.5K/Yr
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#200/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Calgary, Calgary

6.2(Based on 33 User Reviews)Alberta, Canada55%Acceptance Rate
MBA
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
GMAT550IELTS7PTE68
View 134 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$29,558/Yr)$21.6K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,119/Yr)$11.8K/Yr
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#201/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Western University, London

8.3(Based on 25 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada58%Acceptance Rate
MBA
Course duration:
1 year
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo125TOEFL92
View 97 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$41,621/Yr)$30.4K/Yr
Living
(CA$18,400/Yr)$13.4K/Yr
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#301/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Queen's University, Kingston

9.3(Based on 24 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada42%Acceptance Rate
MS Computing Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL88
View 119 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$31,161/Yr)$22.7K/Yr
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#301/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby

7.5(Based on 13 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada59%Acceptance Rate
MS Computing Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo125TOEFL90PTE65
View 95 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$23,783/Yr)$17.4K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,002/Yr)$11.7K/Yr
Check Admission Requirements
#301/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Victoria, Victoria

9.3(Based on 10 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada63%Acceptance Rate
MBA
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL90PTE65
View 114 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$20,460/Yr)$14.9K/Yr
Living
(CA$9,653/Yr)$7K/Yr
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#351/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Brescia University College, London

Ontario, Canada47%Acceptance Rate
M.S Food and Nutrition
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL83
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Tuition:  
(CA$29,219/Yr)$21.3K/Yr
Living
(CA$12,535/Yr)$9.2K/Yr
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#351/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Dalhousie University, Halifax

6.3(Based on 20 User Reviews)Nova Scotia, Canada78%Acceptance Rate
MS Applied Computer Science
Course duration:
16 months
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL92PTE65
View 124 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$22,041/Yr)$16.1K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,448/Yr)$12K/Yr
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#351/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

7.0(Based on 12 User Reviews)Saskatchewan, Canada72.3%Acceptance Rate
MPH
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo120IELTS6.5PTE63
View 117 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$25,820/Yr)$18.8K/Yr
Living
(CA$20,065/Yr)$14.6K/Yr
Check Admission Requirements
#401/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Laval University, Quebec City

Quebec, Canada59%Acceptance Rate
MBA Pharmaceutical Management
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL79
View 325 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$22,351/Yr)$16.3K/Yr
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#401/3118 THE Ranking 2026

University of Guelph, Guelph

4.0(Based on 25 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada66%Acceptance Rate
MPH
Course duration:
30 months
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo120IELTS6.5PTE60
View 84 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$33,758/Yr)$24.6K/Yr
Living
(CA$3,070/Yr)$2.2K/Yr
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#401/3118 THE Ranking 2026

York University, Toronto

6.2(Based on 41 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada48%Acceptance Rate
MBA
Course duration:
16 months
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL100
View 105 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$41,051/Yr)$30K/Yr
Living
(CA$16,865/Yr)$12.3K/Yr
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#501/3118 THE Ranking 2026

Carleton University, Ottawa

3.3(Based on 26 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada22%Acceptance Rate
MCS
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL4.5PTE60
View 101 Other Programs
Tuition:  
(CA$33,419/Yr)$24.4K/Yr
Living
(CA$12,907/Yr)$9.4K/Yr
Check Admission Requirements