UPEI ranks fourth in Maclean’s 2011 university rankings
UPEI has moved four spots from eighth position to rank fourth overall among ‘primarily undergraduate' universities in this year's Maclean's magazine's annual university rankings. The climb is due in large part to UPEI's strong showing in the ‘student awards' and ‘total research dollars' categories, placing the University in a tie with Alberta's University of Lethbridge.
This is the 21st year for Maclean's annual ranking of 49 Canadian universities. Maclean's divides the schools into doctoral, comprehensive and primarily undergraduate categories and ranks them on performance in class sizes, faculty, resources, student support, library resources and the university's reputation.
UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz said, 'I am very proud of our community of students, staff, faculty, and alumni, and we are thrilled with this news. While the ranking is important, it's not everything, but more a part of the equation. For us at UPEI, we are going to continue to work hard to ensure that we give our students the best quality education possible.'
President Abd-El-Aziz also commented on education in Canada and how proud he is of Canadian universities. 'The difference between the top university and the bottom university in the rankings when it comes to education in Canada is very small. I'm very proud of the quality of education in all Canadian universities. It's really wonderful to see all institutions continuously working towards higher standards of excellence.'
The fourth place position reaffirms that UPEI is a destination university for students, staff, and faculty. It is also hoped the ranking will help the University build upon its already broad community and connect with more people locally, regionally, nationally, and around the world.
