The University of Alberta has moved up in one of the world's biggest university rankings, and its most interesting number isn't its rank. It's 100.
U of A is tied for 118th in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, released Sept. 30. That's up one spot from 119th last year. It's still fifth in Canada.
In one category, industry, U of A scored a perfect 100 out of 100. The university says that tied it for first in the world in that category, along with several other schools, for the third year in a row.
U of A's scores
U of A's overall score was 65.3. Here's the breakdown:
Industry: 100
International outlook: 87.7
Research quality: 78.7
Research environment: 56.1
Teaching: 50.2
What a perfect 100 for industry means
It's not an employment rate, and it's not a score for the business school.
The industry score measures how connected a university's research is to the business world. THE looks at two things: how much research money the university gets from companies, compared with how many academics it has, and how often patents cite the university's research.
When a patent cites a university's research, it means a company or inventor built something new on top of what the university discovered. So a high score means businesses are paying for U of A's research, and turning it into real products and technology.
U of A credits its work on commercializing research, protecting intellectual property, and building partnerships with businesses.
For students, that can mean more research jobs, co-ops and connections with employers. For Alberta, it's a sign the province's biggest university is feeding new businesses and technology, not just academic journals.
What the other four scores mean
International outlook (87.7) measures how global a university is: how many of its students and staff come from other countries, and how much of its research is done with partners abroad.
Research quality (78.7) measures how much a university's research matters to other researchers, mainly by how often, and how widely, it's cited. It's the most important category in the ranking.
Research environment (56.1) measures the setting for research: the university's research reputation among academics worldwide, how much research funding it brings in, and how much its researchers publish.
Teaching (50.2) isn't a grade on U of A's classes or professors. It's based on things like the university's teaching reputation among academics, how many students there are per professor, how many PhDs it awards, and its funding per staff member. It doesn't use student reviews.
Why a perfect score doesn't put U of A near the top
Industry counts for just 4 per cent of a university's overall score. Here's how THE weighs each category:
Research quality: 30 per cent
Teaching: 29.5 per cent
Research environment: 29 per cent
International outlook: 7.5 per cent
Industry: 4 per cent
Nearly nine of every 10 points come from research quality, teaching and research environment. U of A's lower scores in teaching and research environment carry far more weight than its perfect industry score.
Fifth in Canada, by a hair
1. University of Toronto: 22nd in the world
2. McGill University: 43rd
3. University of British Columbia: 44th
4. McMaster University: tied for 116th
5. University of Alberta: tied for 118th
The gap between fourth and fifth was tiny. McMaster's overall score was 65.4. U of A's was 65.3.
McMaster also scored a perfect 100 for industry, and scored much higher on research quality, at 93.5. U of A beat McMaster on teaching, research environment and international outlook.
Behind U of A were the Université de Montréal, at 132nd, and the University of Waterloo, at 178th.
Edmonton vs. Calgary
Both of Alberta's biggest universities moved up this year.
The University of Calgary climbed from 200th to a tie for 185th. It's tied with the University of Ottawa for eighth in Canada, with an overall score of 59.9.
Here's how they compare:
Teaching: U of A 50.2, U of C 39.9
Research environment: U of A 56.1, U of C 44.7
Research quality: U of A 78.7, U of C 84.7
Industry: U of A 100, U of C 88.7
International outlook: U of A 87.7, U of C 82.0
U of A came out ahead in four of the five. But Calgary won research quality, the category that counts most. Read our breakdown of U of C's ranking here.
Higher in other rankings
Rankings can land a school in very different spots.
In the QS World University Rankings 2027, released in June, U of A placed 96th in the world and fourth in Canada, its third straight year in QS's top 100. More than 1,500 universities were ranked.
In the 2026 National Taiwan University rankings, U of A tied for 85th in the world and fourth in Canada, its best result there since 2019.
Each ranking measures different things. NTU focuses on research output and impact. THE adds teaching, international outlook and industry. So 118th, 96th and 85th aren't contradictions. They're different yardsticks.
Top 6 per cent in the world
THE considered nearly 2,300 universities in 118 countries and territories. U of A says its 118th-place finish puts it in the top 6 per cent worldwide.
About U of A
The University of Alberta was founded in 1908. Its main campus is in Edmonton, along with Campus Saint-Jean, its French-language campus, and Augustana Campus in Camrose.
U of A says it has more than 46,000 students, 13,000 staff and 300,000 alumni around the world.
Sources
Best universities in Canada 2027, Times Higher Education
World University Rankings 2027: methodology, Times Higher Education
University of Alberta, 2027 Times Higher Education ranking announcement
U of A ranks fourth in Canada and among Top 100 in the world in latest QS rankings, University of Alberta
University of Alberta, 2026 NTU ranking announcement
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