Thursday, February 20, 2025

The University of Waterloo has ranked 97th in the world in Times Higher Education’s (THE) World Reputation Rankings for 2025. 

The newly relaunched World Reputation Rankings (WRR) provides a list of the top 300 most prestigious universities around the world according to academics. This year, WRR uses data sourced from THE’s Global Academic Reputation Survey, a questionnaire that received more than 55,000 responses from experienced and published scholars. 

Each of the selected academics were asked to nominate up to 15 institutions for research and up to 15 institutions for teaching in their field. This is the first time since 2011 that THE ranked Waterloo in the top 100 WRR list.

“Being ranked amongst the top 100 universities in the world for reputation demonstrates that academics around the world recognize the exceptional work being done at Waterloo,” says Vivek Goel, Waterloo’s president and vice-chancellor. “Our faculty and students continue to embrace Waterloo’s unconventional roots to push the envelope when it comes to innovation, entrepreneurship, co-op and work-integrated learning at scale with impact.”

The University’s multi-disciplinary approach to research, combined with strong industry connections, encourages researchers to identify new opportunities and innovative solutions that will transform societies, economies, technologies, sustainability and health through teaching, research and application of new technologies and practices. 

For 17 consecutive years, Research Infosource has also named Waterloo Research University of the Year in the comprehensive category. Waterloo’s diverse array of researchers making significant impacts globally in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, global governance, cybersecurity and privacy, nanotechnology and more.  

Among these distinguished researchers is Dr. Donna Strickland, a Nobel Laureate in Physics for her work on chirped pulse amplification — a technique that has revolutionized laser technology. Dr. Linda Nazar, a Canada Research Chair and leading figure in energy storage research, has made groundbreaking advancements in battery technology by exploring alternative elements to lithium-based batteries to reduce reliance on scarce materials.

Dr. Geoffrey Fong, a psychology professor who received the Governor General’s Innovation Award in 2021 and was appointed as an officer of the Order of Canada, is recognized for his research on tobacco control policies and their impact on public health. Fong will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in June 2025. 

Dr. Michael Fowler, a Tier-1 Canada Research Chair, is notable for his work on zero-emission vehicles and hydrogen energy systems, significantly advancing sustainable transportation. Dr. Aiping Yu, a Canada Research Chair and director of the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, is renowned for her work in developing better batteries and energy storage solutions for devices ranging from smartphones to electric cars, making them more efficient and reliable. Nazar, Fowler and Yu were named on the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list by Clarivate, alongside ten other Waterloo researchers recognized in the top one per cent of their fields.

From 2023 to 2024, Waterloo researchers secured more than $259 million in research funding from public and private sources. The University’s growing network of global partnerships enables Waterloo to collaborate with industry, institutions and communities, driving research solutions critical for economic growth and innovation.

The scoring for WRR now follows a similar method to that used for the World University Ranking, ensuring consistency across different THE rankings and confirming the results fully reflect the global distribution of scholars.

Before 2025, vote counts considered only the total number of votes each university received. But this year, the method has been changed. The 2025 methodology has moved from a singular method for determining ranking position to using performance indicators grouped into three areas: vote counts (60 per cent), pairwise comparison (20 per cent) and voter diversity (20 per cent). Each pillar has two indicators for a total of six, providing a comprehensive and fair assessment of university reputations globally.

With this recognition, Waterloo is determined to further enhance its global impact and solidifying its position at being at the forefront of addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. Our unique approach to developing future-focused solutions aims to inspire future generations of academics, researchers and innovators.

THE supports universities around the world to analyze, audit and track their global reputation and impact of their brand. Visit THE’s World Reputation Rankings to see the complete list.

For more information or questions about the ranking methodology, please contact  Institutional Analysis and Planning (IAP).