SFU named Canada’s top comprehensive university in 2025 Maclean’s rankings

Simon Fraser University remains Canada’s top comprehensive university, according to the 2025 Maclean’s University Rankings.

The annual rankings, released Thursday, see SFU retain its position at the top for the 16th time in 17 years and score top marks for excellence in student services, student awards, operating budget and library services.

Maclean’s also ranked SFU’s education and computer science programs among the top 10 by reputation in Canada and its business program 12th overall.

“It's an honour for Simon Fraser University to be once again ranked as Canada's top comprehensive university by Maclean's," says SFU President Joy Johnson. “We continue to prove to the world that SFU is a leading research university, and I am so grateful to all the students, faculty and staff who contribute to a culture of excellence and innovation across our campuses.”

Maclean’s puts universities into three categories, recognizing the differences in types of institutions, levels of research funding, diversity of offerings, and breadth and depth of graduate and professional programs.

Universities in the comprehensive category have a significant degree of research activity and a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees.

This year, Maclean’s noted SFU’ s ample resources and support available to its 37,000 students across three campuses, including a focus on health and counselling, multifaith centre and an Indigenous student centre which all foster a diverse, inclusive community.

The magazine also highlighted SFU’s co-op program, which is renowned across Canada and helps pair more than 9,200 students with world-class employers like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Tesla and Boeing each year.

The university’s What’s Next strategy was lauded for upholding SFU’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, engaging in global challenges, making a difference for B.C. and transforming the student and faculty experience.

SFU conducts innovative research that makes a difference in B.C. and the world, across areas including community-centred climate innovation, agritech, quantum computing and more, and the rankings noted that the university is delivering on its vision to advance an inclusive and sustainable future.

Program offerings in emerging fields – such tech-focused computing sciences, environmental science, sustainable energy engineering, and urban worlds – were highlighted, along with the university’s new research centre in Tanzania in partnership with Aga Khan University to address global challenges such as health and climate change.

SFU’s Surrey campus will also be the home to the first medical school in Western Canada in more than 55 years when it opens in 2026, which is one of many new additions (including more student housing being built) planned to help make the SFU experience even more rich for years to come.