Maclean's 18th annual (and biggest ever) University Rankings issue arriving on newsstands this week

    TORONTO, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - What the data reveals, what the experts say and
what students think about 47 Canadian universities--it's all unveiled in the
18th annual (and for the third year in a row, biggest ever) Maclean's
University Rankings issue, arriving on newsstands across the country starting
Thursday, Nov. 13. With this year's information-packed ranking, Maclean's
continues the mandate it established 17 years ago: to provide essential
information in a comprehensive package to help students choose the university
that best suits their undergraduate needs.

    The rankings are presented in three categories:

    Maclean's places each university in one of three categories. Primarily
Undergraduate universities are largely focused on undergraduate education,
with relatively few graduate programs. Those in the Comprehensive category
have a significant amount of research activity and a wide range of programs at
the undergraduate and graduate levels, including professional degrees. Medical
Doctoral universities offer a broad range of Ph.D programs and research, as
well as medical schools.

    This year's top-ranking universities:

    Medical Doctoral category

    McGill University took the number one spot, for the fourth year in a row.
The University of Toronto moved up from fourth place last year to tie in
second place with Queen's University. The University of British Columbia
slipped to fourth place after having tied in second place with Queen's last
year.

    Comprehensive category

    For the second year in a row, the University of Victoria placed first,
but this year it shares the top spot with Simon Fraser University--last year's
second-place finisher. Waterloo and Guelph maintained the same positions as
last year, third and fourth place respectively.

    Primarily Undergraduate category

    Mount Allison University placed first for the second year in a row.
Acadia, which shared the top spot with Mount A last year, fell to third place
this year. After tying in fourth place last year, UNBC moved up to second
place. St. Francis Xavier, last year's third-place finisher, fell to fourth
place this year.

    Maclean's ranks universities on performance measures in six broad areas:
students/classes, faculty, resources, student support, library and reputation.
    The Maclean's University Rankings '08 issue will be on newsstands until
Jan. 31, 2009.
    Further details are available to media today at www.macleans.ca/rankings
or through the contact below.

    Other highlights from this year's rankings

    -  Expert opinion: Results of the national reputational survey: those in
       the know weigh in on quality and innovation.

    -  Making the grade: 87,000 students took part in two national surveys
       assessing their universities. Their responses suggest some
       universities still have some homework to do.

    -  Is this heaven? For some, leaving high school behind for university is
       just as great as they thought it would be.

    -  The college alternative: Many parents push for university, but a
       college education can offer great job prospects and financial payoffs.

    -  Getting ready: How much will an education cost? And how are you going
       to pay for it?

    -  Student loan primer: Tips on how to make the most of student loans and
       avoid crushing debt.

    -  Where's my scholarship? Universities offer thousands of renewable
       awards to first-year students. But it turns out most students lose
       them by the end of first year because their grades have slipped.

    -  Dear benefactor: How one young woman put herself through school by
       writing to some of Canada's richest men.

    -  Second thoughts: One young man discovers why choosing a university
       close to home might not have been the best idea.

    MORE TIMELY CONTENT ON THE WEB:

    Macleans.ca/oncampus is Canada's leading source for higher education,
with daily news, practical advice, research tools and in-depth information.
Regularly updated online content includes:

    Maclean's OnCampus Virtual Fair: Now on demand, this online fair allows
prospective students to visit universities and colleges from their computers,
where they can pick up information from each of the schools and get answers to
their questions. Participants can watch and listen to the presentations of
high-profile Canadians and of students who have recently made the leap to
post-secondary education. Go to: www.macleans.ca/oncampusfair.

    Customized rankings: Use Maclean's exclusive rankings data to create a
university assessment tailored to their specifications. Visit
macleans.ca/oncampus and click on "Rankings."

    Scholarship Finder: Looking for money for school? To search the Maclean's
database of scholarships, bursaries and awards, visit macleans.ca/oncampus and
click on "Scholarship Finder."

    Campus Food Reviews: Read our reviews of 30 campus cafeterias,
accompanied by photo galleries from each one.

    Additional student survey data: Survey responses not included in the
rankings issue, as well as surveys from previous years are available at
macleans.ca/oncampus. (Click on "Rankings.")


    About Maclean's: Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current
affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.8 million
readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading
journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national
politics, business and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca

For further information: To arrange an interview, please contact: Louise
Leger, (416) 764-4125, louise.leger@rci.rogers.com