best public universities in canada

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.

Cities
Toronto
Montreal
Halifax
Ottawa
Vancouver
London
Winnipeg
Calgary
Edmonton
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Colleges By Ranking
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#18/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Toronto, Toronto

6.0(Based on 82 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada43%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL5
jpctdh 178 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$56,025/Yr)$40.9K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$13,491/Yr)$9.8K/Yr
wW4ehl
#22/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

McGill University, Montreal

9.0(Based on 26 User Reviews)Quebec, Canada46%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5
jpctdh 126 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$40,444/Yr)$29.5K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$875/Yr)$638.75/Yr
wW4ehl
#30/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

The University of British Columbia, Vancouver

9.0(Based on 107 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada54%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
IELTS6.5PTE65
jpctdh 182 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$37,212/Yr)$27.2K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,536/Yr)$12.1K/Yr
wW4ehl
#61/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Alberta, Edmonton

9.3(Based on 22 User Reviews)Alberta, Canada58%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
20 months
Exams Accepted:
GMAT550TOEFL100PTE68
jpctdh 137 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$27,901/Yr)$20.4K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$19,344/Yr)$14.1K/Yr
wW4ehl
#91/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Waterloo, Waterloo

9.7(Based on 58 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada53%q8kmCZ
MMath Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL5
jpctdh 82 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$47,201/Yr)$34.5K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,020/Yr)$11.7K/Yr
wW4ehl
#101/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

McMaster University, Hamilton

8.3(Based on 29 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada59%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL88PTE70
jpctdh 121 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$43,806/Yr)$32K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$15,470/Yr)$11.3K/Yr
wW4ehl
#119/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Western University, London

8.3(Based on 25 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada58%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
1 year
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo125TOEFL92
jpctdh 97 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$41,621/Yr)$30.4K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$18,400/Yr)$13.4K/Yr
wW4ehl
#120/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Montreal, Montreal

8.2(Based on 15 User Reviews)Quebec, Canada57%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
jpctdh 111 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$27,391/Yr)$20K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$12,000/Yr)$8.8K/Yr
wW4ehl
#140/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Calgary, Calgary

7.3(Based on 34 User Reviews)Alberta, Canada55%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
GMAT550IELTS7PTE68
jpctdh 134 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$29,637/Yr)$21.6K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,119/Yr)$11.8K/Yr
wW4ehl
#142/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Ottawa, Ottawa

8.0(Based on 38 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada80%q8kmCZ
MCS
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo120IELTS7PTE60
jpctdh 130 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$25,536/Yr)$18.6K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$15,758/Yr)$11.5K/Yr
wW4ehl
#166/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Queen's University, Kingston

9.3(Based on 24 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada42%q8kmCZ
MS Computing Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL88
jpctdh 119 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$31,161/Yr)$22.7K/Yr
wW4ehl
#182/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke

6.8(Based on 1 User Reviews)Quebec, Canada68%q8kmCZ
M.B.A
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
GMAT550TOEFL100PTE59
jpctdh 141 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$25,553/Yr)$18.7K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$9,192/Yr)$6.7K/Yr
wW4ehl
#184/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal

Quebec, Canada50%q8kmCZ
MS Computer Science
Course duration:
2 years
jpctdh 125 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$19,076/Yr)$13.9K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$4,320/Yr)$3.2K/Yr
wW4ehl
#211/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Dalhousie University, Halifax

5.3(Based on 22 User Reviews)Nova Scotia, Canada78%q8kmCZ
MS Applied Computer Science
Course duration:
16 months
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL92PTE65
jpctdh 124 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$22,041/Yr)$16.1K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,448/Yr)$12K/Yr
wW4ehl
#230/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby

7.5(Based on 13 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada59%q8kmCZ
MS Computing Science
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo125TOEFL90PTE65
jpctdh 95 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$23,783/Yr)$17.4K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,002/Yr)$11.7K/Yr
wW4ehl
#258/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Victoria, Victoria

9.3(Based on 10 User Reviews)British Columbia, Canada63%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL4.5PTE65
jpctdh 114 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$20,460/Yr)$14.9K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$9,653/Yr)$7K/Yr
wW4ehl
#281/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Laval University, Quebec City

Quebec, Canada59%q8kmCZ
MBA Pharmaceutical Management
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL79
jpctdh 325 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$22,351/Yr)$16.3K/Yr
wW4ehl
#286/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

7.0(Based on 12 User Reviews)Saskatchewan, Canada72.3%q8kmCZ
MPH
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
Duolingo120IELTS6.5PTE63
jpctdh 117 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$25,820/Yr)$18.8K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$20,065/Yr)$14.6K/Yr
wW4ehl
#291/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

Carleton University, Ottawa

3.3(Based on 26 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada22%q8kmCZ
MCS
Course duration:
2 years
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL4.5PTE60
jpctdh 101 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$33,419/Yr)$24.4K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$12,907/Yr)$9.4K/Yr
wW4ehl
#296/824 Collegedunia Study Abroad Ranking 2026(Overall)

York University, Toronto

6.2(Based on 41 User Reviews)Ontario, Canada48%q8kmCZ
MBA
Course duration:
16 months
Exams Accepted:
TOEFL100
jpctdh 105 pUnZ5J
J9uNHw:  
(CA$41,052/Yr)$30K/Yr
lpofqY
(CA$16,865/Yr)$12.3K/Yr
wW4ehl