Collegedunia Team Content Curator
Content Curator
The University of Waterloo ranks among top 10 Canadian Universities while York University ranks among the top 20 Canadian Universities. Detailed below are the qualitative and quantitative aspects of comparison for both the universities.
| York University | University of Waterloo | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 4.3 Out of 10 | 5.3 Out of 10 |
| ranking (overall) | # 333 QS World University 2026 # 401 Times Higher Education 2026 # 362 QS World University 2025 | # 119 QS World University 2026 # 162 Times Higher Education 2026 # 115 QS World University 2025 |
| Subject Strength | # 501 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2025 # 551 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 # 63 for Law by Times Higher Education 2025 | # 47 for Engineering by QS World University 2025 # 34 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 251 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 |
| Programs | UG Programs -59 PG Programs -41 Doctorate Programs -6 | UG Programs -45 PG Programs -33 Doctorate Programs -5 |
| Acceptance Rate | 48.0 % | 53.0 % |
| Exam Score | IELTS-7 TOEFL-100 | Duolingo-120 IELTS-6.5 PTE-63 TOEFL-90 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 24861 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 10033 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 16865 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 66000 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 11790 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 16020 Per Year |
| placement (average package) | Graduate Employability Rankings (QS 2023)- #301-500
| Graduate Employability Rankings- # 24(QS 2023); 98.9% international student employment rate; Top recruiters are Manulife, TD Canada, Sun Life Financial Inc. etc. Average Salaries by Degree:
|
| Campuses and B-Schools | Schulich School of Business Osgoode Hall Law School | NA |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | 6.8/10 Read 41 reviews | 7.8/10 Read 58 reviews |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | York University | University of Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1959 | 1957 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | 12:1:1 | 31:1:1 |
| Male:Female | 43% Male, 57% Female | 53% Male, 0% Female |
| Location Facts | Completely bilingual Gledon campus- home to Southern Ontario’s Center for Excellence for French Langauge & Bilingual Postsecondary education. Third largest university in Canada. | 1,000 acres campus located in the Quantum Valley (Canada’s emerging technological hub); surrounded at the borders by Waterloo Park, Wilfrid Laurier University & Laurel Creek Conservation Area; easily accessible via public transport; dozens of food outlets & restaurants within 20 minutes of distance. |
| Library | Four main and one archive libraries with more than 2,500,000 volumes | 4 libraries: 3 on-campus, 1 in Cambridge; Library system is a part of TriUniversity Group; Houses more than 1.4 million books including e-books, serial titles, databases. |
| Campus Life | 25 organized research centers | Student Life Centre (SLC) responsible for organizing cultural, social and recreational activities; Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and Student Housing Office; 24/7 information desk known as Turnkey Desk; 200+ student clubs; 100+ volunteer services; Earth Sciences Museum; Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Center (largest center for Quantum Research) |
| Hostel | #Residence/Apartment - $13800 | #Housing - $11400 |
| Famous Alumni | Lily Singh (Youtuber), Steve Maclean (astronaut), John Tory (Mayor of Toronto), Dr. Miguna Miguna (Canadian-Kenyan Author), Jack Layton (Former MP), Shawn Doyle (Actor), Navdeep Bains (Minister of innovation, science and industry), Eric Walter (Author). | Over 203,000 graduates; Robert Mundell (Nobel Laureate), Donna Strickland (Nobel Laureate), Mike Lazaridis (Founder of BlackBerry Ltd.), Prem Watsa (Founder of Fairfax Financial); Rupi Kaur (Canadian Poet); Karl Ting (Actor); Apoorva Mehta (Founder of Instacart); David Cheriton (Canadian Computer Scientist). |
| City Life | Toronto is the second-largest financial city in North America with a rate of success is higher for its brilliant management of talent, good quality of life, and excessive competitive business ambiance. Since 2009, the GDP growth of Toronto is higher in comparison to other major cities. | Waterloo- Tech-hub of Canada; over 1,000 tech-related businesses set up in the city; over 400 restaurants and shops to explore; More than 40 cultural events; Famous attractions include Waterloo Park, West Montrose Covered Bridge, Laurel Creek Conservation Area, Waterloo Central Railway, Conestoga Mall, Innocente Brewing Company; Unemployment rate: 5% |
| Weather |
When planning higher education from Canada, international applicants must compare the universities they apply for on the basis of their overall reputation (globally and nationally), reputation and recognition of the program they wish to study, the cost of pursuing education, etc. Apart from the above-mentioned data, you can also compare University of Waterloo and York University on the following basis.
Why Study at University of Waterloo?
- Located at the heart of the Tech-hub of Canada, the University of Waterloo offers a variety of internships, co-op training, and similar opportunities to its engineering and technology students.
- Over 1000 tech-related business prevails, in and around Waterloo region.
- The university is ranked #16 for its Impact rankings as per Times Higher Education for 2020.
- International students can apply for a maximum of three programs at the University of Waterloo at one time.
- Though the overall student population at UWaterloo is lower than York University, the international student strength is higher at University of Waterloo.
- Score requirements for UWaterloo of exams to study in Canada is lower than York University. Additionally, the acceptance rate for UWaterloo is higher than York making it easier to get admissions to the University of Waterloo.
- The employment rate of the university is 98.9%.
- Recognized #1 as a comprehensive research university consecutively for 11 years as per the survey of research infosource.
Why Study at York University?
- MBA program at York University is recognized among the top MBA programs in Canada and ranks among top 100 MBA programs in the world.
- The cost of studying at York University is lower than University of Waterloo.
- Renowned for its bilingual center, more than 2700 students at York study 2 languages. 30% of the student population learns 3 or more languages.
- Law programs at York are highly recognized nationally and globally.
It can hence be concluded that opting between these two universities, the decision can incline towards University of Waterloo. However, this decision will be highly influenced by the choice of program of study.
