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How Stellar Rank works

Stellar Rank, labelled “Directory order” on cards, is the browsing order in our university directory. It is not an independent assessment of university quality, student outcomes, or the best program for you.

Methodology reviewed September 28, 2026 · Ranking edition used: QS World 2026

The ordering rules

  1. Records with a stored QS World 2026 position come first, ordered by the numeric position from lowest to highest. For a published band such as 711–720, we use its lower bound, 711. Equal stored positions keep their existing directory data order; size and name do not break QS ties.
  2. Records without a stored QS position follow, grouped by our editorial size category: large, then mid-sized, then small. Within each group, they are ordered alphabetically by display name.
  3. We number that full list from 1 to 98. Filtering by province, program, size, or search term keeps those numbers; it does not calculate a new program or provincial ranking.

Program breadth, fees, admission chances, reviews, graduate earnings, and employment outcomes do not enter this calculation. Size categories are browsing labels, not a quality score or a current enrolment census.

Sources, dates, and missing data

16 of our 98 directory records have a stored QS World 2026 position. The remaining records have no QS position in this dataset. That does not establish whether QS ranks them elsewhere or in another edition, and a later directory position does not show that a school is worse.

The source edition is the QS World University Rankings 2026, published June 19, 2025. This directory uses a stored subset, not a live QS feed or the latest edition. The methodology review date above records our check of the ordering rules, not a fresh verification of every ranking value. Original per-record retrieval dates were not recorded in this dataset.

The directory includes universities and university-level or federated institutions. It is not a complete national program catalogue. Broad program labels help discovery; missing labels do not mean an institution lacks that program. Verify the exact credential, campus, intake, accreditation, and entry requirements on the institution’s website.

Use the order as a starting point

Compare curriculum, entry routes, total costs, work experience, accessibility, and support before making a shortlist. An overall position cannot tell you which institution meets your needs or predict an admission decision. You can also browse the directory A–Z or by program.

The downloadable directory dataset explains its fields separately. Its legacy stellar_rank_canada column contains stored QS 2026 Canada positions, not the sequential Stellar Rank shown on directory cards.