Laurier, U-W & Guelph all in top 10 of Maclean’s 2017 university rankings

Many consider it required reading for parents and high school students planning to make the next educational step.

Maclean’s magazine is here to help with its 2017 university rankings.

Wilfrid Laurier, the University of Waterloo and University of Guelph all rank in the top ten.

The University of Waterloo is ranked the second best school in the country, narrowly losing out to Simon Fraser University.

Guelph is fourth and Laurier is ninth overall.

In the specific category of student satisfaction, it’s a clean sweep for the local institutions.

That category is judged on criteria like extracurricular activities, residence living, course instructors and mental-health services.

U-W is also the top school for innovation, the school has been the leader in that category for 25 years in a row.

49 of the country’s 98 universities were put to the test with McGill tops in the medical doctoral category followed by Toronto and UBC. Simon Fraser is number one in comprehensive. The University of Guelph was also listed as number two for student satisfaction, while UNBC, Mount Allison and Lethbridge lead the primarily undergraduate category.

Mary Dwyer with Maclean’s says student awards, grants, research dollars and scholarships were all factored into the rankings. As well, existing students played a part, with each of them being asked a series of ten questions about university life.

Dwyer admits picking a school can be an overwhelming decision.

“There’s quite a variation in the universities across this country,” she says. “As much as thinking about their program area, they also need to think about finding the right fit, where they think they will feel at home.”

If school reputation helps you decide, the University of Toronto is considered the best overall.

The digital version of the magazine is available now while the print version will be on newsstands Thursday morning.

with files from 570’s Jeff Pickel.