The Best Universities for Mathematics in Canada (2026)

Canada is home to some of the world’s leading maths departments. From pure maths to applied fields, universities like Toronto, UBC, Waterloo, and McGill offer strong research, quality teaching, and global recognition which makes them top choices for a Masters in Mathematics.

University rankings weigh up things like research, teaching, reputation, and international outlook. Each table does it differently, which is why the same university can look brilliant in one list and average in another. In this guide, we’ll show how Canada’s universities perform in 2026 to save you the stress of comparing spreadsheets.

There are many reasons why someone might want to study Mathematics at a university in Canada. Here are just a few:

• Canadian universities maintain high educational standards and rigorous quality controls. A Masters in Mathematics from Canada would provide students with an internationally-recognised degree.
• The institutions offer a diverse range of specialisations under the umbrella of Mathematics such as Applied Maths, Pure Maths, Maths Education etc., enabling students to pursue their area of interest.
• There are many scholarships and funding options available specifically for international students by government bodies along with university-specific scholarships for graduate programmes like mathematics making it financially feasible.
• Canada is one of the most multicultural countries globally which provides an enriched living experience to students from across the world.

The following tables gives the 10 top universities in Canada for Mathematics, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which Canadian universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

Read our guide to know more about how you as an postgrad student can use these rankings to your advantage.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.