McMaster’s strong partnerships with industry and its research excellence have been rated among the best in the world by a key international ranking.

“McMaster’s commitment to improving health and well-being globally is built upon our culture of collaboration and ecosystem of innovation,” said President David Farrar.

“We are proud of our faculty and students as they advance knowledge and build important partnerships that make a real impact in the lives of people around the world.”

Overall, McMaster tied for fourth in Canada and ranked among the top 100 public universities globally in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings (WUR). The university ranked 116th in a field of more than 2,000 public and private universities worldwide.

The rankings’ industry impact indicator evaluates the extent to which universities engage with the private sector and contribute to economic development.

McMaster is one of only 34 universities in the world to score a perfect 100 in this category, a metric that considers patents and research income from industry.

McMaster also received top marks — 93 out of a possible 100 — for its research quality  placing it among the top 75 universities in the world in this critical indicator that assesses the excellence and impact of a university’s published research. In addition to data from millions of research publications, more than 93,000 scholars are surveyed globally.

The WUR, regarded as a measure of excellence in higher education, examines five pillars including: teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.

In Canada, the University of Toronto ranked first, followed by the University of British Columbia and McGill University. McMaster tied with the University of Alberta for fourth in Canada.

McMaster recently ranked 30th in the world in the Times Higher Education  University Impact Rankings of institutions that excel across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Earlier this year, McMaster was ranked fourth in Canada, up one spot from last year, by the U.S News & World Report’s research-focused ranking of global universities.