Discover

2027 Maclean's University Rankings: Scholarships, Bursaries, and Student Awards

By Logan Bright Modified on October 20, 2026
Tags : Money | Rankings | Scholarships

Canada's top universities, ranked by number of national awards earned by students, and percentage of funding given to financial aid.

Save

One of the biggest factors when choosing a university is the financial aid and tuition support students can potentially access. To help students make smart post-secondary decisions, Maclean's magazine has ranked (most of) Canada's public universities by the number of national awards earned by enrolled students, and the percentage of their operating budget a school spends on scholarships and bursaries for students.

Not all public Canadian universities are included in the Maclean's rankings. Maclean's excludes certain institutions based on various criteria, so if the school you're interested in doesn't appear here, don't fret.

Scholarships and bursaries

These tables show what percentage of each school's operating budget goes towards scholarships and bursaries for students. These scholarships and bursaries come directly from the universities themselves.

(Be aware that these tables don't show the percentage of students who receive a scholarship or bursary! They show the percentage of a school's operating budget devoted to financial aid.)

Large universities

Large universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have over 30,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for large universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Scholarships and bursaries Share of operating expenditures
1	University of Ottawa	Ontario	19.6%
2	McGill University	Quebec	17.9%
3	University of Waterloo	Ontario	14.0%
4	University of Calgary	Alberta	13.7%
5	Queen's University	Ontario	13.4%
6	University of Alberta	Alberta	13.1%
7	University of Toronto	Ontario	12.8%
8	Western University	Ontario	12.3%
9	Université de Montréal	Quebec	11.0%
10	Université Laval	Quebec	10.6%
10	York University	Ontario	10.6%
12	Concordia University	Quebec	8.5%
13	University of British Columbia	British Columbia	7.7%
14	McMaster University	Ontario	6.8%
15	Toronto Metropolitan University	Ontario	6.7%

Mid-size universities

Mid-size universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have between 10,000 and 30,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for mid-size universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Scholarships and bursaries Share of operating expenditures
1	Dalhousie University	Nova Scotia	11.7%
2	University of Victoria	British Columbia	11.3%
3	University of Manitoba	Manitoba	10.9%
4	Trent University	Ontario	9.4%
5	Carleton University	Ontario	9.2%
6	Simon Fraser University	British Columbia	9.0%
7	Memorial University of Newfoundland	Newfoundland and Labrador	8.4%
7	Wilfrid Laurier University	Ontario	8.4%
9	Brock University	Ontario	8.3%
9	University of Windsor	Ontario	8.3%
11	University of Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan	8.1%
11	Université de Sherbrooke	Quebec	8.1%
13	University of Guelph	Ontario	8.0%
13	University of Regina	Saskatchewan	8.0%
15	Université du Québec à Montréal	Quebec	7.5%
16	Ontario Tech University	Ontario	6.2%
17	MacEwan University	Alberta	4.4%
18	Thompson Rivers University	British Columbia	4.2%
19	Mount Royal University	Alberta	2.8%

Small universities

Small universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have under 10,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for small universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Scholarships and bursaries Share of operating expenditures
1	Algoma University	Ontario	15.4%
2	Saint Mary's University	Nova Scotia	11.6%
3	Mount Allison University	New Brunswick	9.1%
4	Université de Moncton	New Brunswick	8.9%
5	University of Prince Edward Island	Prince Edward Island	8.5%
6	Lakehead University	Ontario	8.4%
7	Bishop's University	Quebec	7.8%
8	Acadia University	Nova Scotia	7.5%
9	University of New Brunswick	New Brunswick	7.3%
10	St. Francis Xavier University	Nova Scotia	7.2%
11	St. Thomas University	New Brunswick	6.7%
12	Laurentian University	Ontario	6.0%
13	Brandon University	Manitoba	5.7%
14	University of Lethbridge	Alberta	5.4%
14	University of Northern British Columbia	British Columbia	5.4%
16	Mount Saint Vincent University	Nova Scotia	5.1%
17	Nipissing University	Ontario	5.0%
18	Cape Breton University	Nova Scotia	4.8%
19	Vancouver Island University	British Columbia	4.7%
20	University of Winnipeg	Manitoba	4.3%
21	Concordia University of Edmonton	Alberta	4.2%
22	University of the Fraser Valley	British Columbia	2.8%

Student awards per 1,000 students

These tables show how many student awards are claimed by students at Canadian universities, per 1,000 students. These student awards, in contrast to scholarships and bursaries above, are focused on national academic awards, which includes prestigious awards from organizations and agencies beyond each school — like Rhodes Scholarships, Fulbrights, and others.

Large universities

Large universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have over 30,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for large universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Awards per 1,000 students
1	McGill University	Quebec	6.8
2	University of British Columbia	British Columbia	5.3
3	University of Toronto	Ontario	5.2
4	Queen's University	Ontario	3.1
5	Université Laval	Quebec	3.0
5	University of Ottawa	Ontario	3.0
7	University of Waterloo	Ontario	2.8
8	University of Calgary	Alberta	2.7
9	Université de Montréal	Quebec	2.5
10	University of Alberta	Alberta	2.4
10	McMaster University	Ontario	2.4
12	Western University	Ontario	2.3
13	Concordia University	Quebec	2.1
13	York University	Ontario	2.1
15	Toronto Metropolitan University	Ontario	0.8

Mid-size universities

Mid-size universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have between 10,000 and 30,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for mid-size universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Awards per 1,000 students
1	Simon Fraser University	British Columbia	4.1
2	University of Victoria	British Columbia	4.0
3	Dalhousie University	Nova Scotia	3.4
4	Université du Québec à Montréal	Quebec	2.8
5	Carleton University	Ontario	2.4
6	University of Guelph	Ontario	2.1
6	Université de Sherbrooke	Quebec	2.1
8	University of Manitoba	Manitoba	1.9
9	Memorial University of Newfoundland	Newfoundland and Labrador	1.8
10	University of Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan	1.5
11	Wilfrid Laurier University	Ontario	1.3
12	Trent University	Ontario	1.1
12	University of Windsor	Ontario	1.1
14	Brock University	Ontario	1.0
15	University of Regina	Saskatchewan	0.8
16	Thompson Rivers University	British Columbia	0.6
17	Ontario Tech University	Ontario	0.4
18	MacEwan University	Alberta	0
18	Mount Royal University	Alberta	0

Small universities

Small universities, as defined by Maclean's magazine, have under 10,000 full-time enrolled students. See the overall rankings for small universities here.

Rank	University	Province	Awards per 1,000 students
1	University of New Brunswick	New Brunswick	2.5
2	Mount Allison University	New Brunswick	1.3
2	Saint Mary's University	Nova Scotia	1.3
2	University of Northern British Columbia	British Columbia	1.3
5	University of Prince Edward Island	Prince Edward Island	1.2
6	Acadia University	Nova Scotia	1.1
7	Lakehead University	Ontario	0.9
7	University of Lethbridge	Alberta	0.9
9	Université de Moncton	New Brunswick	0.8
10	Bishop's University	Quebec	0.7
11	St. Francis Xavier University	Nova Scotia	0.6
12	Concordia University of Edmonton	Alberta	0.4
13	Laurentian University	Ontario	0.3
13	Nipissing University	Ontario	0.3
15	Mount Saint Vincent University	Nova Scotia	0.2
16	Brandon University	Manitoba	0.1
16	St. Thomas University	New Brunswick	0.1
16	University of Winnipeg	Manitoba	0.1
19	Algoma University	Ontario	0
19	Cape Breton University	Nova Scotia	0
19	University of the Fraser Valley	British Columbia	0
19	Vancouver Island University	British Columbia	0

Remember, these rankings do not include every public university in Canada! If the school you're interested in doesn't appear, don't worry. They may still offer scholarships and bursaries, and their students may still compete for national awards. Use these lists as a starting point to help you decide — not the be-all, end-all of your university search!

Want to explore your scholarship and bursary options? Check out ScholarshipsCanada.com today.

Browse ScholarshipsCanada

2027 Maclean's University Rankings: Scholarships, Bursaries, and Student Awards

Canada's top universities, ranked by number of national awards earned by students, and percentage of funding given to financial aid.

Scholarships and bursaries

Large universities

Mid-size universities

Small universities

Student awards per 1,000 students

Large universities

Mid-size universities

Small universities

More About This School

Discover...

Subscribe to our newsletter

2027 Maclean's University Rankings: Scholarships, Bursaries, and Student Awards

Canada's top universities, ranked by number of national awards earned by students, and percentage of funding given to financial aid.

Scholarships and bursaries

Large universities

Mid-size universities

Small universities

Student awards per 1,000 students

Large universities

Mid-size universities

Small universities

account_balanceMore About This School

Recommended for You

Discover...

Subscribe to our newsletter

trending_upTrending Articles

Log in

More About This School

Trending Articles