History, Affiliations and Rankings

McGill University was established in 1821 in Montreal, Quebec by a royal charter issued by King George IV. It is named after James McGill, a Scottish trader whose donation in 1813 established the university's predecessor, the University of McGill College (or simply, McGill College). In 1885, the name of the institution was changed to McGill University. Throughout the years, the University has made its mark throughout the world and its history. McGill University is affiliated with the Bureau de Coopération Interuniversitaire (BCI), Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), Universities Canada, World University Service of Canada (WUSC), Shastri-Indo Canadian Institute, the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association and RSEQ (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (Lit. Quebec Student Sports Network). The University’s Faculty of Religious Studies is also affiliated with other theological institutions and organizations like the Montreal School of Theology.

Apart from these affiliations, McGill University is one of the two universities outside of the USA to be a member of the Association of American Universities, and is the only University from Canada to be a part of the Global University Leaders Forum, alongside being a part of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), Association of Commonwealth Universities, U15, Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE), Academics Without Borders and The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is known to be Canada’s top-ranked medical university and has consistently been acknowledged as one of the top universities worldwide. McGill University is ranked #27 in QS World University Rankings 2022 and #44 in THE World University Rankings 2022. Furthermore, the university is also ranked #51 by the US News & World Report's Best Global University Rankings 2022.

Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses

McGill boasts two beautiful campuses - Downtown Montreal (Main) and MacDonald campus, which are spread across an area of 1,600 acres with state-of-the-art facilities. Both are easy to access by public transport. The MacDonald campus is located on the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue coastline. It is the island of Montreal's largest green space, covering 1,600 acres. With an arboretum, greenhouses, and a sustainable farm that feeds the downtown residents, this campus is its own ecosystem. The Downtown campus is surrounded by cafés, museums, and galleries in the centre of Montreal. It is one of the most beautiful campuses in the world, situated on the outskirts of Mount Royal Park, where you can go for a hike up the mountain or simply rest on the greens. You can get to the MacDonald campus from downtown Montreal in 30 minutes on our free shuttle service. The University’s academic units are organized into 11 faculties and 13 schools. McGill University provides about 130 Undergraduate Programmes and 74 Graduate courses. Biomedical Engineering, Business Analytics, Architecture, and Anthropology are some of the most applied courses at McGill University. The university makes sure that students are guided under experienced faculty members and provides internships to its students for better exposure to the industry. Two of the most prominent courses offered by McGill University are the MBA and LLM programs and it also prides itself in having the largest percentage of PhD students of any Canadian research university. 

Accomplishments and Alumni

McGill students have the highest average entering grades in Canada, and their commitment to fostering the very best has helped the students win more national and international awards on average than their peers at any other Canadian university. McGill University is the founding member of Universities 21, an international network of prominent research-intensive institutes which work to promote global reach and enhance the international scope. McGill prides itself in its history of research and the prominent prizes that have been won by its professors and alumni. Some prominent discoveries made by McGill University include the Invention of Plexiglass, the world’s first artificial cell, the creation of Phytotron, the development of the radioautography process and the discovery of 3TC. McGill University aims to maintain its teaching standards following the slogan, says the 'GrandscCont Aucta Laboratory, which means that all things are increasing and growing. Some of the notable alumni include 12 Nobel laureates, 145 Rhodes Scholars, 10 billionaires, 3 Prime Ministers of Canada, 1 Governor-General of Canada, and 8 foreign leaders. Apart from these, the university has also produced 11 Grammy Award Winners, 4 Pulitzer Winners, 121 Olympians and 16 Emmy Award Winners. In short, from playing the first modern football match against Harvard and writing down the rules of Hockey to saving millions of lives by synthesizing 3TC that changed AIDS from an automatic death sentence to a chronic disease, McGill University has made a name for itself and rightly so.

Student Diversity and Visiting Companies 

McGill University, based in Montreal, is one of Canada's most prominent institutions, attracting thousands of international students each year from over 150 countries. Currently, the university caters to the academic demands of nearly 40,000 students, of which international students account for 29% of the total student population. The university also ensures students get placed after completing their course. For this, the university has a Career Planning Service (CAPS). This team is responsible for helping students build a strong CV which is considered essential for finding a suitable job. However, international students must make a note that to be eligible for getting placed, they must have a work permit. The top companies visiting McGill include JPMorgan Chase and Co, National Bank of Canada, Sustainalytics, and Grasshopper Energy, among others. The invention of Plexiglass, the world’s first artificial cell, the creation of the Phytotron, and the development of the radioautography process are cited as some of the major achievements of McGill University.