Maria Alyokhina (L) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot, take their seats onstage for a forum at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyde
Maria Alyokhina (L) and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, members of the punk protest band Pussy Riot, take their seats onstage for a forum at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts September 15, 2014. REUTERS/Brian Snyder REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Canadian universities had dropped in the World University Rankings for the years covering 2014-2015. Only four Canadian universities made it to this year's top 100.

Based on 13 performance indicators, including research, teaching environment and international outlook, only the University of Toronto retained its 20th place spot on the list of top 200 schools. The rest of the Canadian universities fell, such as the University of Alberta which slid 15 spots.

Based on the annual Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Canada's top three universities are the University of Toronto at 20th, University of British Columbia at 32nd and McGill University at 39th.

Phil Baty, the editor of the rankings, said they were surprised of Canada's performance given that the country spends so much on higher education. He said Canada is one of the highest in the OECD as far as spending per student in college or university is concerned.

That's why they expected Canada's heavy investment in higher education should translate to high rankings in the table. But apparently this did not happen, Baty said.

"The drop is really quite a surprise to see. It's not a dramatic fall but a very consistent slip," the Globe and Mail quoted Baty. "Is there too much of an egalitarian system? That sounds perverse, but is there a sense that the universities are being funded too equally, that there needs to be greater protection for the smaller group at the top?"

Just in September, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives said studying at Canadian universities will increase 13 per cent over the next four years. Annual fees are projected to average $7,755.

Meantime, the universities that made it to the 2014-2015 World University Rankings top 10 slots include:

  • California Institute of Technology, U.S.
  • Harvard University, U.S.
  • University of Oxford, U.K
  • Stanford University, U.S.
  • University of Cambridge, U.K.
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.
  • Princeton University, U.S.
  • University of California-Berkeley, U.S.
  • Imperial College of London, U.K
  • Yale University, U.S.

Calling Canada's performance this year as "poor," Baty urged the country to invest and work hard to stay competitive because competition in the global knowledge economy is intensifying.