University of Waterloo: Rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 in Canada, 106 in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 1-3 across multiple research topics. The ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EliteDegrees's index has 140,858 academic publications and 4,382,606 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of notable alumni.
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 106 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 5 of 101 | In Canada |
| # 65 of 2,597 | In North America |
| # 2 of 24 | In Ontario |
| # 1 of 2 | In Waterloo |
| # 66 of 5,432 | For Mathematics |
| # 74 of 6,057 | For Computer Science |
| # 75 of 5,096 | For Business |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Jump to topical rankings below
Engineering rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 for Engineering in Canada and 80 in the World with 84,817 publications made and 2,736,688 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Engineering Subfield Rankings
Physics rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 for Physics in Canada and 83 in the World with 77,061 publications made and 2,536,135 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Physics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical | #3 | #26 | #40 |
| Applied Physics | #2 | #33 | #66 |
| Nanotechnology | #2 | #32 | #111 |
| Optics | #5 | #49 | #115 |
| Molecular | #7 | #60 | #158 |
| Astrobiology | #8 | #72 | #165 |
| Condensed Matter | #6 | #60 | #177 |
| Biophysics | #15 | #136 | #323 |
| Quantum and Particle physics | #3 | #37 | #66 |
Computer Science rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 for Computer Science in Canada and 74 in the World with 68,808 publications made and 2,197,040 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Computer Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #1 | #7 | #9 |
| Software Engineering | #3 | #16 | #22 |
| Telecommunications | #3 | #22 | #41 |
| Data Science | #4 | #33 | #46 |
| Computational Linguistics | #6 | #36 | #62 |
| Cognitive Science | #6 | #47 | #62 |
| Computer Engineering | #3 | #33 | #67 |
| Machine Learning | #5 | #41 | #68 |
| Animation | #4 | #36 | #74 |
| Computer Vision | #4 | #38 | #74 |
| Multimedia | #7 | #45 | #77 |
| Robotics | #4 | #29 | #85 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #16 | #87 | #215 |
| Neuroscience | #13 | #104 | #217 |
| Information Technology | #13 | #139 | #310 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #16 | #135 | #352 |
| Web Design and Development | #7 | #40 | #90 |
| Human-Computer Interaction | #4 | #35 | #68 |
| Database Administration | #2 | #14 | #14 |
| Cyber Security | #2 | #16 | #19 |
| Computer Networking | #2 | #21 | #29 |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | #3 | #32 | #52 |
Biology rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 15 for Biology in Canada and 268 in the World with 59,540 publications made and 2,128,672 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Biology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanotechnology | #2 | #32 | #111 |
| Evolutionary | #11 | #86 | #161 |
| Astrobiology | #8 | #72 | #165 |
| Paleontology | #12 | #84 | #181 |
| Neuroscience | #13 | #104 | #217 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #18 | #101 | #230 |
| Botany | #13 | #88 | #248 |
| Horticulture | #11 | #69 | #308 |
| Biophysics | #15 | #136 | #323 |
| Toxicology | #13 | #100 | #345 |
| Biochemistry | #16 | #133 | #346 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #16 | #135 | #352 |
| Genetics | #16 | #139 | #386 |
| Ethics | #20 | #181 | #388 |
| Forestry | #19 | #102 | #390 |
| Zoology | #22 | #142 | #412 |
| Animal Science | #19 | #114 | #434 |
| Biotechnology | #17 | #137 | #442 |
| Molecular | #18 | #161 | #478 |
| Microbiology | #16 | #152 | #547 |
| Virology | #21 | #180 | #571 |
| Pharmacology | #18 | #165 | #596 |
| Entomology | #25 | #192 | #669 |
| Immunology | #18 | #184 | #700 |
| Oncology | #18 | #195 | #763 |
Chemistry rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 11 for Chemistry in Canada and 200 in the World with 59,295 publications made and 2,004,645 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Chemistry Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | #2 | #23 | #66 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #3 | #32 | #80 |
| Nanotechnology | #2 | #32 | #111 |
| Organic chemistry | #5 | #61 | #148 |
| Computational | #9 | #70 | #192 |
| Pharmacy | #9 | #62 | #248 |
| Biochemistry | #16 | #133 | #346 |
| Radiochemistry | #8 | #63 | #362 |
| Environmental Chemistry | #3 | #26 | #57 |
| Polymer science and Plastics engineering | #4 | #37 | #89 |
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 11 for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Canada and 135 in the World with 57,755 publications made and 1,746,190 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linguistics | #7 | #53 | #94 |
| Archaeology | #6 | #55 | #110 |
| Philosophy | #9 | #55 | #120 |
| History | #8 | #60 | #124 |
| Law | #11 | #72 | #124 |
| Aesthetics | #11 | #65 | #130 |
| Political Science | #12 | #74 | #141 |
| Gender Studies | #15 | #115 | #198 |
| Sociology | #16 | #105 | #200 |
| Anthropology | #17 | #105 | #203 |
| Genealogy | #17 | #115 | #212 |
| Publishing | #17 | #107 | #244 |
| Media Studies | #17 | #120 | #247 |
| Demography | #17 | #121 | #261 |
| Education | #16 | #143 | #289 |
| Social Work | #19 | #146 | #290 |
| Broadcast Journalism | #21 | #143 | #323 |
| International Law | #17 | #128 | #343 |
| Special Education | #23 | #261 | #569 |
| Forensic Science | #23 | #161 | #578 |
| Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | #4 | #24 | #45 |
| Sports / Exercise science | #9 | #40 | #71 |
Environmental Science rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 6 for Environmental Science in Canada and 119 in the World with 54,852 publications made and 1,838,457 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Environmental Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineering | #4 | #19 | #52 |
| Hydrology and Water resources | #3 | #30 | #85 |
| Environmental Management | #5 | #34 | #90 |
| Ecology | #6 | #56 | #107 |
| Geology | #6 | #58 | #120 |
| Oceanography | #6 | #54 | #123 |
| Earth science and Geoscience | #8 | #56 | #161 |
| Paleontology | #12 | #84 | #181 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #18 | #101 | #230 |
| Forestry | #19 | #102 | #390 |
Mathematics rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 6 for Mathematics in Canada and 66 in the World with 36,608 publications made and 1,155,256 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Mathematics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #1 | #7 | #9 |
| Operations Research | #2 | #16 | #26 |
| Actuarial Science | #2 | #27 | #33 |
| Applied Mathematics | #2 | #24 | #36 |
| Statistics | #6 | #49 | #81 |
| Econometrics | #5 | #54 | #83 |
| Mathematics Education | #14 | #133 | #255 |
Medicine rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 16 for Medicine in Canada and 323 in the World with 36,020 publications made and 1,285,929 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Medicine Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optometry | #1 | #4 | #9 |
| Sports | #9 | #28 | #40 |
| Ophthalmology | #4 | #50 | #82 |
| Physical Therapy | #12 | #59 | #96 |
| Occupational Therapy | #13 | #66 | #119 |
| Audiology | #11 | #82 | #168 |
| Gerontology | #14 | #106 | #179 |
| Nursing | #15 | #113 | #224 |
| Healthcare Administration | #17 | #117 | #228 |
| Pharmacy | #9 | #62 | #248 |
| Orthodontics | #11 | #87 | #258 |
| Clinical Psychology | #17 | #142 | #260 |
| Psychiatry | #14 | #119 | #271 |
| Paramedicine and Emergency | #17 | #145 | #284 |
| Social Work | #19 | #146 | #290 |
| Health Science | #17 | #152 | #341 |
| Radiology | #14 | #123 | #344 |
| Toxicology | #13 | #100 | #345 |
| Pathology | #16 | #129 | #364 |
| Dentistry | #12 | #109 | #364 |
| Epidemiology | #16 | #115 | #366 |
| Ethics | #20 | #181 | #388 |
| Surgery | #15 | #140 | #458 |
| Anesthesiology | #17 | #153 | #496 |
| Virology | #21 | #180 | #571 |
| Forensic Science | #23 | #161 | #578 |
| Cardiology | #17 | #168 | #594 |
| Pharmacology | #18 | #165 | #596 |
| Cosmetology | #17 | #152 | #668 |
| Pediatrics | #18 | #171 | #681 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | #18 | #149 | #689 |
| Immunology | #18 | #184 | #700 |
| Dermatology | #17 | #166 | #719 |
| Radiation Therapy | #18 | #185 | #741 |
| Oncology | #18 | #195 | #763 |
| Neurosurgery | #20 | #190 | #853 |
| Urology | #18 | #201 | #871 |
| Veterinary | #19 | #179 | #1045 |
Business rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 for Business in Canada and 75 in the World with 26,835 publications made and 827,122 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Business Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Research | #2 | #16 | #26 |
| Actuarial Science | #2 | #27 | #33 |
| Risk Management | #4 | #24 | #36 |
| Management | #4 | #37 | #60 |
| Advertising | #3 | #48 | #72 |
| Construction Management | #3 | #22 | #74 |
| Finance | #5 | #50 | #84 |
| Accounting | #5 | #58 | #84 |
| Engineering Management | #5 | #53 | #106 |
| Marketing | #9 | #61 | #107 |
| Project Management | #8 | #47 | #134 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #16 | #87 | #215 |
| Real Estate | #11 | #103 | #234 |
| Entrepreneurship | #19 | #129 | #355 |
| International Trade | #14 | #90 | #357 |
| Hospitality and Hotel Management | #1 | #2 | #7 |
Psychology rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 13 for Psychology in Canada and 178 in the World with 26,473 publications made and 1,058,756 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Psychology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Science | #6 | #47 | #62 |
| Occupational Therapy | #13 | #66 | #119 |
| Neuroscience | #13 | #104 | #217 |
| Human Sexuality | #22 | #161 | #243 |
| Clinical Psychology | #17 | #142 | #260 |
| Psychiatry | #14 | #119 | #271 |
| Education | #16 | #143 | #289 |
| Social Work | #19 | #146 | #290 |
| Special Education | #23 | #261 | #569 |
| Social Psychology | #7 | #61 | #82 |
Economics rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 10 for Economics in Canada and 119 in the World with 16,637 publications made and 484,877 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Economics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actuarial Science | #2 | #27 | #33 |
| Econometrics | #5 | #54 | #83 |
| Finance | #5 | #50 | #84 |
| International Trade | #14 | #90 | #357 |
Art & Design rankings
University of Waterloo ranked 5 for Art & Design in Canada and 97 in the World with 11,166 publications made and 304,108 citations received.
University of Waterloo
Art & Design Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | #2 | #19 | #44 |
| Animation | #4 | #36 | #74 |
| Multimedia | #7 | #45 | #77 |
| Graphic Design | #7 | #46 | #78 |
| Literature | #8 | #60 | #114 |
| Aesthetics | #11 | #65 | #130 |
| Creative Writing | #13 | #83 | #171 |
| Acting and Drama | #12 | #73 | #171 |
| Photography | #12 | #82 | #181 |
| Sculpture | #11 | #73 | #263 |
| Landscape Architecture | #10 | #56 | #300 |
| Music | #19 | #133 | #329 |
| Interior Design | #11 | #69 | #349 |
| Cinematography | #31 | #231 | #691 |
| Computer Graphics | #3 | #30 | #46 |
| Fashion Design | #5 | #48 | #88 |
| Entertainment Industry Business | #6 | #44 | #76 |
| UX/UI Desgin | #7 | #37 | #73 |
| Game Design and Development | #7 | #31 | #51 |
