Top sustainable universities in Canada

McGill University scores particularly well this year for environmental sustainability, which is measured by looking at environmental education and research as well as aspects like net zero commitments and emissions efficiency.

Located in Montreal, McGill University welcomes international students from over 150 countries and is one of the top universities in Canada overall according to the latest QS World University Rankings.

One of the top universities in Canada for sustainability this year, the University of British Columbia attracts students from over 140 countries around the world. Students are also supported by a thriving alumni network of more than 370,000 individuals.

UBC's strong performance in this year's sustainability rankings is partly due to its very impressive performance across social sustainability metrics. The university prides itself on its commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion to strengthen its community.

When asked to summarise the reasons why the University of Toronto is one of the most sustainable universities in both Canada and the world, the university's President, Meric Gertler, told us: "We’ve launched some very successful institution-wide strategic initiatives, such as Climate Positive Energy, our centre for interdisciplinary research in clean energy, and SDGs@UofT, which promotes research collaboration and knowledge mobilisation in sustainable development.

"At the same time, we're committed to offering sustainability learning and engagement opportunities to all of our students, in addition to those enrolled in one of our sustainability-related degree programmes.

"We also offer sustainability-related internships, career development and agent-of-change leadership training programmes and mentoring.

"These opportunities help students prepare to realise their potential as sustainability leaders at every stage of their careers."