QS ranking profile
University of British Columbia
This page presents clearly labeled QS ranking data for orientation. It does not verify programs, supervisors, funding, admission requirements, or the university's website.
- QS 2026 rank
- #40
- Down 2 places since 2025
- QS 2025 rank
- #38
- Overall score
- 85.5
Explore opportunities at University of British Columbia
Browse active research positions, doctoral fellowships, and university funding calls indexed from official faculties and verified sources.
QS indicators
Reported ranking indicators
Each indicator is scored out of 100 in the same QS snapshot as the summary above.
#23 worldwide
#41 worldwide
#568 worldwide
#210 worldwide
#135 worldwide
#222 worldwide
#191 worldwide
#48 worldwide
#135 worldwide
#5 worldwide
Institution profile
How QS classifies this institution
QS groups institutions by size, subject range, and research output.
- Size
- Extra large
- More than 30,000 students
- Subject range
- Focused
- Teaches a limited range of faculty areas
- Research intensity
- Very high
- Very high research output in the QS classification
- Region
- Americas
- QS regional grouping
University profile
About University of British Columbia
Editorial background written for orientation. Verify programs, funding, and admission on the university's official pages.
Choose the UBC campus and graduate route first
The University of British Columbia offers graduate study through its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, each with its own academic setting and graduate information. This is the first distinction an applicant should make. A program with a similar subject name may be available at one campus, both campuses, or through a different academic unit altogether. The university's central graduate-student pages introduce the two locations and point prospective students toward the relevant program directories. Use those directories to find the exact degree before relying on broader descriptions of UBC. Campus, faculty, and degree structure all affect the courses, supervision, facilities, and application process that a student will encounter.
UBC's graduate and postdoctoral resources describe programs across many fields, including opportunities for interdisciplinary study. That breadth is useful only when it becomes a defined route. Start with the degree title and the faculty responsible for it. Then check whether the program is research-based, course-based, or combines those elements, and read its current academic requirements. A university-wide description can explain the graduate environment, but it cannot tell you whether a particular course sequence, thesis option, or research group is open through the degree you are considering. The formal program page should remain the source of record for those questions.
Research at UBC across two campus settings
UBC Research and Innovation describes research activity across its two campuses, affiliated teaching hospitals, faculties, institutes, and collaborative initiatives. This provides useful context for applicants interested in questions that connect science, technology, health, environment, policy, or the arts. It also makes it important not to overstate a connection. A research institute may include faculty from several programs, and an affiliated setting may contribute to research without being the academic home of every graduate student. The better approach is to trace the route from your intended degree to the relevant faculty member or group, then to any shared facility, institute, or partner that clearly supports that work.
For research-oriented applicants, the most useful evidence is current and local to the proposed program. Look for faculty research profiles, program-affiliated laboratories, and official descriptions of student research or supervision. If a cross-disciplinary theme matters, check whether it is supported through a formal program, a documented partnership, or a shared research environment. This avoids a common mistake of assuming that a university's research strength is experienced in the same way by every degree. The goal is to understand the setting of the individual student, including where the work is based and how the academic program organizes it.
Using University of British Columbia information well
At UBC, keep a separate decision note for each campus and degree. Name the faculty, the precise element of the program that supports your plan, and the degree page you will revisit before you act. Do not combine Vancouver and Okanagan information unless the program itself links the two. A master's choice may turn on curriculum and project design, whereas a doctoral choice may depend on a close connection to current faculty work. In both cases, a current program description is more useful than a broad statement about UBC's research profile.
The final review should cover program-specific prerequisites, deadlines, documents, language requirements, and any expectations around a supervisor. These details can differ by faculty and campus. University of British Columbia is worth prioritizing when the academic route and research setting can be described in a concrete, verifiable way. If the connection depends only on a broad research theme, go back to the program directory and faculty pages to make it more specific. A precise match will help you decide whether to apply and will give your application a stronger, more truthful foundation.