In the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, uOttawa stands 187th out of more than 2,000 research-intensive institutions from 115 countries, up four places from 2025. The rise is credited in part to improvements in THE’s “Research Quality” category, which evaluates a university’s effectiveness in spreading new knowledge and ideas.
Contributing metrics to Research Quality include citation impact, research strength, research excellence (the number of research publications in the top 10% for field-weighted citation impact worldwide) and research influence (the degree to which uOttawa research is recognized in turn in the most influential research in the world). The category accounts for 30% of a university’s ranking.
Research excellence driving global impact
University of Ottawa President and Vice-Chancellor Marie-Eve Sylvestre welcomed the ranking as evidence of uOttawa’s momentum and growing impact as a leading research-intensive university.
“Our strong showing in international rankings confirms we have every reason to be proud of the vibrant culture of research and innovation we have built at uOttawa. Our researchers continue to leverage our strategic location at the heart of a G7 capital to break new ground in areas like AI, cybersecurity, quantum, life sciences, geopolitics, public policy, climate change and the Arctic. Through the knowledge we create and partnerships we develop, we are transforming our region, our country and the world.”
“Through the knowledge we create and partnerships we develop, we are transforming our region, our country, and the world.”
Marie-Eve Sylvestre
— President and Vice-Chancellor
Excellence, relevance and impact are the hallmarks of uOttawa’s research program. And with 94 Canada Research Chairs, one Canada Research Excellence Chair and more than $500 million in research funding, uOttawa is ready to further propel its research forward and its reputation upward well into the next decade.