UNBC Rises to #4 in Macleans
November 7, 2005 for immediate release
The University of Northern British Columbia has achieved its
highest-ever ranking in the annual Maclean’s magazine ranking of
Canadian universities. UNBC has placed 4th in the Primarily
Undergraduate category. Previously, its best-ever ranking was 7th,
achieved twice before, including last year.
As in other years, the faculty, the Library, and the quality of students are the main reasons for the strong showing:
• The average entering grade of students coming to UNBC directly from high school is 82%, sixth best in Canada. UNBC placed fourth for the number of students who have won national awards.
• UNBC’s class sizes are among the smallest in western Canada. For example, 30% of first and second-year students are in classes of fewer than 25 people.
• This year, UNBC rose in all of the categories that measure the quality of the faculty. In fact, for research in the social sciences and humanities, UNBC placed first in Canada.
• Similarly, UNBC retained its #1 ranking for the proportion of the Library budget that is earmarked to acquiring new acquisitions. UNBC is top-10 in Canada for the number of Library holdings per student.
“It was a pleasant surprise to see that we’ve achieved our highest-ever ranking in Maclean’s, but as in other years, it’s the numbers behind our overall ranking that really tell the story,” says UNBC President Charles Jago. “Those numbers simply confirm that we have excellent faculty, terrific students, an increased number of scholarships and bursaries, small class sizes, and a Library that continues to put great emphasis on always updating and expanding the collection. These are the factors that are important to students.”
The universities placing ahead of UNBC this year are all from Atlantic Canada: St. Francis Xavier, Mount Allison, and Acadia. Each is also more than 150 years old.
UNBC first appeared in the Maclean’s ranking in 1998, when it debuted in ninth place.
Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622
As in other years, the faculty, the Library, and the quality of students are the main reasons for the strong showing:
• The average entering grade of students coming to UNBC directly from high school is 82%, sixth best in Canada. UNBC placed fourth for the number of students who have won national awards.
• UNBC’s class sizes are among the smallest in western Canada. For example, 30% of first and second-year students are in classes of fewer than 25 people.
• This year, UNBC rose in all of the categories that measure the quality of the faculty. In fact, for research in the social sciences and humanities, UNBC placed first in Canada.
• Similarly, UNBC retained its #1 ranking for the proportion of the Library budget that is earmarked to acquiring new acquisitions. UNBC is top-10 in Canada for the number of Library holdings per student.
“It was a pleasant surprise to see that we’ve achieved our highest-ever ranking in Maclean’s, but as in other years, it’s the numbers behind our overall ranking that really tell the story,” says UNBC President Charles Jago. “Those numbers simply confirm that we have excellent faculty, terrific students, an increased number of scholarships and bursaries, small class sizes, and a Library that continues to put great emphasis on always updating and expanding the collection. These are the factors that are important to students.”
The universities placing ahead of UNBC this year are all from Atlantic Canada: St. Francis Xavier, Mount Allison, and Acadia. Each is also more than 150 years old.
UNBC first appeared in the Maclean’s ranking in 1998, when it debuted in ninth place.
Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622
