Top-25 ranking reflects UBC’s global leadership in health education, research, partnership and impact
The University of British Columbia has been ranked 25th globally for life sciences and medicine in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject, reinforcing UBC’s position among the world’s leading medical schools and health research universities.
The 2026 subject rankings reflect the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s strength across the full spectrum of health disciplines — from biomedical discovery to clinical care and population health — and its growing global impact through education, research and partnerships.
“This global recognition is a testament to UBC’s impact around the world and our central role in advancing health innovation and better care for B.C. and Canada,” said Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Vice-President, Health, UBC.
“By bringing together education, research and partnership at scale, we are strengthening Canada’s health and life sciences ecosystem and delivering meaningful benefits for patients, communities and the economy. I want to thank all the UBC faculty, staff, learners and partners who help make this possible.”
Driving discovery with real-world impact
Across the Faculty of Medicine, researchers are tackling some of the world’s most pressing health challenges. From advancing fundamental discovery to developing next-generation therapies, UBC research is reshaping how diseases are prevented, diagnosed and treated.
Over the past year alone, UBC researchers have made world-leading breakthroughs in early cancer prevention, advanced innovative cell and gene therapies, and developed safe and responsible artificial intelligence models to improve patient care. They are also generating evidence that is helping to transform care for populations across Canada, including Indigenous communities, women and those living in northern, rural and remote regions.
Together, these efforts reflect UBC’s commitment to translating discovery into better health outcomes for patients, communities and health systems.
Training the next generation across B.C.
A defining strength behind UBC’s global standing is its world-leading model of medical and health education — one of the most extensive in the world — which provides training to 5,000+ learners in more than 145 sites across a region the size of Western Europe.
The Faculty’s latest issue of Pathways magazine highlights how this approach is preparing graduates to meet the evolving health needs of patients around the world.
Through immersive training opportunities in rural, urban and Indigenous communities, learners gain hands-on experience delivering care in diverse settings while building the skills needed to serve patients in a wide range of contexts. Across the province, UBC is also training the next generation of clinician-scientists to advance clinical trials and research, and developing low-cost training simulators to close surgical care gaps around the world.
Powered by partnership
UBC’s global standing is built not only on academic excellence, but on deep and enduring partnerships with health authorities, governments, industry and communities.
“This global recognition is a testament to UBC’s impact around the world and our central role in advancing health innovation and better care for B.C. and Canada.”
Dr. Sharmila Anandasabapathy
These collaborations help bring new therapies to patients, strengthen health systems and improve outcomes, while supporting the training of future health professionals in real-world settings across the province. They also play a critical role in advancing innovation and growing British Columbia’s life sciences sector.
As health challenges become increasingly complex, the UBC Faculty of Medicine continues to bring together disciplines, sectors and communities to link discovery and training to better health care for patients.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject are among the most widely recognized global rankings, evaluating institutions based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact across disciplines. This year’s rankings compare more than 21,000 academic offerings from 1900 institutions across 100 higher education systems in 55 subjects and five faculty areas.