University of Waterloo

Updated May 9, 2026
Country
Canada
Founded
1956
Type
Education
ROR
01aff2v68
FWUR Rank#178 globally (of 4,980)#6 in Canada
FWUR rank

Where the rankings agree — and where they don't

Methodology in active development · v0.1
Consensus 89.3/ 100Trimmed Mean v0.16 of 6 agenciesDivergent agency signal

But the 6 rankings disagree about this institution.

Range: rank 119–419 (300 positions apart).

Headline composite trimmed: dropped THE (#162, most generous score) and RUR (#295, harshest score).

QS
119[src]of 1,462
ARWU
151[src]of 996
THE
162[src]of 2,119
CWUR
211[src]of 1,929
RUR
295[src]of 1,128
SCImago
419[src]of 4,699
FWUR
178of 4,980

Distance from FWUR composite

Diagnostic only

Per-agency absolute distance from the trimmed-mean composite, in score space (0–100). Display only — does not feed back into the composite or any agency-quality measure. Lower means the agency reads this institution closer to the consensus.

  • QS2.7
  • THE3.1
  • ARWU4.3
  • CWUR0.2
  • RUR15.3
  • SCImago1.8

Why the divergence?

Research-oriented agencies
88ARWU + SCImago

Research output, citations, and bibliometric coverage.

Reputation-sensitive agencies
92.2QS + THE

Academic and employer reputation surveys.

Hybrid agencies
81.5CWUR + RUR

Mixed pillars including outcome and balance metrics.

Cycle alignment: agencies' latest publications mix years (2025/2026). Treat year-over-year deltas with care.

FWUR is a transparent synthesis of six published rankings — not a direct measurement of educational or research quality.

Try other agency subsets

Adjust the weights below to see how the consensus shifts. Custom views are not the canonical FWUR rank.

Pick your agencies (Mode C)

Toggle agencies to see how the composite + rank shift. The default is all six.

Default (Trimmed Mean, all 6) · #178 · 89.3
= canonical FWUR rank (toggle agencies off to customize)

Custom views are not the canonical FWUR rank.

Re-rank with your priorities

Slide the weights below. The composite, dimension scores, and methodology label update live.

Research33%
Research output and citations · ARWU + SCImago
88
Reputation33%
Academic and employer surveys · QS + THE
92.2
Outcome33%
Employability and balanced pillars · CWUR + RUR
81.5
Default (Trimmed Mean) · 89.3 / 100

Source observations · inputs to FWUR rank

CWUR2025
#211
cwur.org
RUR2025
#295
roundranking.com
SCImago2025
#419
scimagoir.com

Ranking trajectory · 2005–2024

CWUR climbed #280 → #207 (2014–2024)

2024
#1#100#200#300#40020052009201420192024YEAR 2024FWUR▲12#172QS▲42#112THE▲43#158ARWU#151CWUR▼3#207RUR▲16#298SCImago▲14#365
Show as table (accessible fallback)
YearQSTHEARWUCWURRURSCImago
2005#203
2006#201
2007#112#151
2008#129#201
2009#113#201#323
2010#145#151#227#303
2011#160#151#229#284
2012#191#201#151#267#292
2013#180#226#151#283#274
2014#169#226#201#280#263#267
2015#169#251#201#269#295#264
2016#152#179#201#262#261#293
2017#152#173#201#263#252#258
2018#152#201#151#268#268#287
2019#163#201#151#179#280#201
2020#173#201#151#199#243#445
2021#166#201#151#200#283#445
2022#149#201#151#204#305#354
2023#154#201#151#204#314#379
2024#112#158#151#207#298#365

Peer comparison cohort

Same country

#InstitutionStudentsAvg rank
1Université de Montréal190.0
2University of Calgary192.0

Global peers

#InstitutionCountryStudentsAvg rank
1University of OxfordUnited Kingdom5.0
2Tsinghua UniversityChina17.0
3The University of MelbourneAustralia27.0

Where these numbers come from

Licensing: Each ranking agency licenses its full data and methodology under terms specific to that agency. FWUR exposes per-cycle headline ranks under fair-use citation; for sub-indicator scores or commercial use, refer to each agency's licensing page. ADR-040 §결정 4 forbids constructing per-pillar "FWUR Teaching/Research/Reputation Score" naming until ≥4 of 6 agencies grant sub-indicator licensing.

Sources