Last updated: July 17, 2026
The Uniscope Report Card grades each university we cover from A+ down to C across four categories — Academics, Professors, Campus, and Student Life — plus an Overall grade. Grades are relative: they compare the universities on Uniscope against each other using published statistics, not against an absolute standard. An average school among the ones we cover earns a B-range grade by construction.
Every factor below is standardized into a z-score — how many standard deviations a university sits above or below the average of all universities we cover. Heavily skewed measures (world rankings, dollar figures, enrollment) are log-transformed first, and extreme values are capped at ±2.5 standard deviations. Factors combine into a weighted category score, and category scores combine into the Overall score. Scores map to letter grades on a fixed scale:
| Grade | Category score |
|---|---|
| A+ | more than 1.25 standard deviations above average |
| A | 0.75 to 1.25 standard deviations above average |
| A- | 0.25 to 0.75 standard deviations above average |
| B+ | -0.25 to 0.25 standard deviations relative to average |
| B | -0.75 to -0.25 standard deviations relative to average |
| B- | -1.25 to -0.75 standard deviations relative to average |
| C+ | -1.75 to -1.25 standard deviations relative to average |
| C | more than 1.75 standard deviations below average |
If a university is missing a factor (for example, a school with no international ranking), the remaining factors in that category are re-weighted proportionally. A category is only graded when at least two factors covering a meaningful share of its weight are available, and an Overall grade is only shown when at least two categories can be graded — otherwise we show no grade rather than a misleading one. The Overall score is re-standardized across all graded universities so Overall grades follow the same curve as category grades.
The Overall grade weights the four categories as follows:
| Factor | Weight | Better when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS World University Ranking | 8% | Lower | QS |
| Times Higher Education Ranking | 8% | Lower | THE |
| ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking | 8% | Lower | ARWU |
| U.S. News Global Ranking | 8% | Lower | U.S. News |
| Maclean's national reputation rank | 25% | Lower | Maclean's 2026 |
| Student awards per 1,000 students | 25% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| Acceptance rate (selectivity) | 20% | Lower | Uniscope data |
| Factor | Weight | Better when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students per faculty member | 40% | Lower | Maclean's 2026 |
| Faculty awards per 1,000 faculty | 35% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| Research funding per faculty member | 25% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| Factor | Weight | Better when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating budget per student | 40% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| Student services spending (% of budget) | 35% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| City crime severity index | 25% | Lower | StatCan 2024 |
| Factor | Weight | Better when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student services spending (% of budget) | 30% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| Scholarships & bursaries (% of budget) | 20% | Higher | Maclean's 2026 |
| City crime severity index | 25% | Lower | StatCan 2024 |
| Community size (enrollment) | 25% | Higher | Uniscope data |
Our approach adapts the grading model popularized by U.S. college ranking sites to Canadian data sources:
Grades compare a limited cohort of Canadian universities, so a B is average within that group — not a judgment against every university in the world. Some schools are missing data for some factors (Maclean's does not rank every institution), and their grades rely on the factors that are available. City-level crime statistics describe the surrounding area, not the campus itself. Grades are informational, reflect the most recent data available at the time of calculation, and are not endorsed by or affiliated with the universities or the data providers.