University of Alberta Tops Canadian AI Rankings, 53rd Globally

The University of Alberta (U of A) has been recognized as the leading institution in Canada for artificial intelligence (AI), ranking 53rd globally in the 2025-2026 Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News. This recognition highlights the university’s commitment to cutting-edge research and innovation.

President and Vice-Chancellor Bill Flanagan emphasizes the impact of AI on society, stating, “Our north star is impact, and advances in this field have the potential to transform society.” The university’s strategic plan, *Shape*, outlines AI as one of its global areas of excellence.

U of A researchers are leveraging AI for a variety of groundbreaking projects. These include an AI note-taking tool to assist emergency doctors, evaluations of boreal forests to combat climate change, and apps to aid people with disabilities in overcoming mobility challenges.

Matina Kalcounis-Rueppell, Dean and Vice Provost of the College of Natural + Applied Sciences, notes, “This ranking underscores the University of Alberta’s reputation as a leader in AI, machine learning, and reinforcement learning.” The university’s research is driving innovation and productivity across sectors such as healthcare, finance, energy, and agriculture.

The U of A has established numerous partnerships with industry, including the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) and the 24 Canada CIFAR AI Chairs. Notably, Richard Sutton, a computing science professor, was awarded the A.M. Turing Award for his pioneering work in reinforcement learning.

In May 2025, the College of Health Sciences launched the AI + Health Hub, aiming to accelerate solutions to healthcare challenges, from faster diagnoses to drug discovery.

U.S. News evaluated 2,250 top universities globally, considering factors like publications and citations to determine research performance. The U of A’s strong showing in this ranking is a testament to its robust academic and research ecosystem.

Earlier this month, the U of A was ranked eighth in the world for its impact on sustainability by the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings and rose to 94th in the world and fourth in Canada in the 2026 QS World University Rankings.

These achievements highlight the U of A’s commitment to excellence and its significant contributions to the global AI landscape.