<p>I am a Canadian living in Europe for the last 2 years. From my time around various universities here, Europeans and internationals who live in Europe overwhelmingly consider the University of Toronto to be the top Canadian university. UBC and McGill are considered very good though by those who have heard of them.</p>
<p>The phenomenon of McGill being considered more prestigious than Toronto seems to be unique to American high school seniors, and possibly their parents as well. Does McGill have some major marketing campaign going on in the US to try to earn more revenue from international student fees? Perhaps it is the fact that McGill is named after a person, similar to top private schools in the US? Or maybe it’s the far smaller student body that makes McGill seem more comparable to elite colleges in the northeast United States many Americans wish they could have gotten into.</p>
<p>I think someone said something about Queens or Western being considered on par with Toronto UBC and McGill… I wish it was true but it isn’t. Pretty much nobody has even heard of Queens or Western on this side of the pond.</p>
<p>Not that I’m happy about this or anything, I’d like to see Canadian unis get more of the recognition they deserve. I’d also like to see them attract more internationals, and from a little further afield than the northern US.</p>