Collegedunia Team Content Curator
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McGill University is the public research university of Canada. Harvard University is a private university and also a part of Ivy League institutes.
| McGill University | Harvard University | |
|---|---|---|
| Collegedunia Score | 6.6 Out of 10 | 10 Out of 10 |
| ranking (overall) | # 27 QS World University 2026 # 27 Center for World University Rankings 2025 # 29 QS World University 2025 | # 5 QS World University 2026 # 1 Center for World University Rankings 2025 # 3 Times Higher Education 2025 |
| Subject Strength | # 45 for Engineering by QS World University 2025 # 30 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 28 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 | # 1 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2025 # 6 for Data Science and Analytics by QS World University 2025 # 1 for Medicine by QS World University 2025 |
| Programs | UG Programs -50 PG Programs -74 Doctorate Programs -3 | UG Programs -40 PG Programs -53 Doctorate Programs -9 |
| Acceptance Rate | 46.0 % | 3.4 % |
| Exam Score | GMAT-650 IELTS-6.5 PTE-65 TOEFL-86 | GMAT-620 GRE-300 IELTS-7 SAT-1470 TOEFL-80 |
| Cost to Study | Average Tuition Fees 55389 [For UG Program] Average Tuition Fees 19154 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 41020 Per Year | Average Tuition Fees 71030 [For PG Program] Hostel + Meal - 32724 Per Year |
| placement (average package) | McGill University is one of the top public universities in Montreal, Canada. It is ranked #31 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and #42 in graduate employability ranking. McGill University Graduates & Alumni Salaries - By Degree
| Harvard University is one of the top private universities in Cambridge, United States. It is ranked #5 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and ranked #1 in US UNI.
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| Campuses and B-Schools | Desautels Faculty of Management | Harvard Law School Harvard Extension School Harvard Kennedy School Harvard Business School |
| CollegeDunia Reviews | 7.3/10 Read 23 reviews | 7.1/10 Read 5 reviews |
Other Popular Comparisons
| General Facts | McGill University | Harvard University |
|---|---|---|
| Type of University | University | University |
| Established | 1821 | 1636 |
| Student:Faculty Ratio | 16:1 | 7:1 |
| Male:Female | 0% Male, 0% Female | 52% Male, 48% Female |
| Location Facts | Two Campuses: Downtown Campus, located between Montreal and Mount Royal Park; Macdonald Campus, located on the western tip of the island of Montreal | Harvard Yard: Campus’s historic hub, Harvard Square: Campus’s personal hagout destination with restaurants, cafe, bookstores, theater, shops. Well connected to the local neighborhood of Boston by public transport, the campus traverses the Charles River to near by Allston. |
| Library | Printed books - 4,851,382; E-books: 2,707,183; Printed journals- 33,706 and E- journals - 1,15,228 | Largest academic library in the world. 20.4 million volumes, 400 million manuscript items, 180,000 serial titles. The library offers various grants and fellowships for both students and faculty. |
| Campus Life | The campus offers Macappella, Happy Geet, MAC and MAC Agro Ecology group, Robotics, Food Science Association, CERES, Gorilla Composition, Happy Belly, and Judging Club.Join/attend/enjoy 700 musical performances each year, athletic competitions, art, theatre, and other extracurricular activities. | Students from over 50 states and 80 countries are offered assistance by over 400 official student organization. The campus has its own museum, radio station, magazine and newspaper. Along with student clubs for Aikikai, archery, dance, theatre/drama, music, etc, campus also offers cultural & racial initiatives, asian student centric-projects, etc. Varsity sports, crimson pride and various atheletic teams. |
| Hostel | #Double Room--Yearly - $16860 #Single Room--Yearly - $18360 | #Medium Single - $10719 #Large Single - $13644 #Standard Single - $8361 |
| Famous Alumni | Justin Trudeau (Prime minister of Canada), Daliso Chaponda (Comedian), William Osler (world renowned physician), Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (American Football player), Mackenzie Davis (Actress), Ken Dryden (Former member of parliament), and Leonard Cohen (Singer). | Eight US Presidents, 62 living billionaires, 242 Marshall Scholars, 359 Rhodes scholars. Barak Obama (ex-president of USA), Michelle Obama (Former First Lady of USA), Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman (Actress), Bill Gates, Conan O’ Brien (comedian writer), Al Gore (Winner-Peace Prize), Matt Damon (Actor), Helen Keller, Subramaniam Swami (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha) |
| City Life | Main industries of Quebec are mining, manufacturing. Water is one of the significant natural resources of Quebec. Therefore a lot of industries around hydroelectric power raised around the city. Montreal has cheap rents, various parks and cycling lanes, affordable public transit, and more. For the flourishing industry, the unemployment rate is slightly higher than Canada. Women are financially independent as compared to 3/4th of men. | Cambridge- city in Massachusetts; home to a huge student community; city offers a great nightlife with gastropubs, live music, and cocktail bars. Boston’s cosmopolitan excitement is bus-ride away. Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 3.2% |
| Weather |
Both Harvard and McGill University are the prestigious universities of the world ranking within the top 50. Let's look at the following points of difference between the two of them for getting a better perspective.
- McGill University ranks between 30th to 50th position among world universities while Harvard University ranks within the top 10.
- According to scores given by QS News while ranking universities for 2020, Harvard University received much better scores than McGill University in all criteria except international students.
- Harvard ranks at 1st on the World Reputation Ranking of 2019 and McGill ranks at 39.
- According to THE scores too, the international outlook of McGill University is better than Harvard University.
- With an acceptance rate of 45%, admission to McGill University is much easier than Harvard University which has an acceptance rate of 5%.
- Cost of living in Canada for an international student is cheaper than living in the USA and this is reflected in the accommodation and meal plans of both the universities.
Graduate Employability Ranking 2020 of Harvard University is 5th. On the other hand, McGill University was not on the list. However, above 80% of the arts & science graduates and above 90% of the engineering & medicine graduates of the university get employment within two years of graduation.
Although Harvard University has better ranking, McGill University would be more compatible for international students due to its cheaper cost of study, better international outlook and higher acceptance rate.
