McGill University vs Harvard University

McGill University is the public research university of Canada. Harvard University is a private university and also a part of Ivy League institutes.

Overview Comparison
McGill UniversityHarvard University
Collegedunia Score6.6 Out of 1010 Out of 10
ranking (overall)# 30 QS World University 2024
# 49 Times Higher Education 2024
# 31 QS World University 2023
# 3 US News 2024
# 4 QS World University 2024
# 4 Times Higher Education 2024
Subject Strength# 71 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024
# 26 for Medicine by QS World University 2023
# 29 for Law by Times Higher Education 2024
# 1 for Engineering by Times Higher Education 2024
# 1 for Medicine by US News 2024
# 1 for Law by Times Higher Education 2024
ProgramsUG Programs -50
PG Programs -74
Doctorate Programs -3
UG Programs -40
PG Programs -58
Doctorate Programs -8
Acceptance Rate54.0 %5.6 %
Exam ScoreGMAT - 550
IELTS - 6.5
PTE - 65
TOEFL - 90
GMAT - 620
GRE updated - 326
IELTS - 6.5
SAT - 1460
TOEFL - 90
Cost to StudyAverage Tuition Fees   55389
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  19154
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 40949 Per Year
Average Tuition Fees   52659
[For UG Program]
Average Tuition Fees  18600
[For PG Program]
Hostel + Meal - 31689 Per Year
placement (average package)

McGill University is one of the top public universities in Montreal, Canada. It is ranked #31 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and #42 in graduate employability ranking.

McGill University Graduates & Alumni Salaries - By  Degree

Degree              Average Salary

MBA                   $97,000 

Doctorate            $94,000 

LLM                   $89,000 

Masters of Arts    $72,000 

Masters in Science $71,000 

Bachelor of Science $64,000 


Harvard University is one of the top private universities in Cambridge, United States. It is ranked #5 in QS World University Rankings 2023 and ranked #1 in US UNI.

Other Degree: $200,000 

Doctorate: $190,000 

Executive Masters: $172,000 

MBA: $168,000 

Executive MBA: $160,000 

LLM: $152,000 


Campuses and B-SchoolsDesautels Faculty of Management
Harvard Law School
Harvard Extension School
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Business School
CollegeDunia Reviews7.6/10 Read 17 reviews7.3/10 Read 4 reviews
General Facts Comparison
General FactsMcGill UniversityHarvard University
Type of UniversityUniversity
University
Established1821
1636
Student:Faculty Ratio16:1
7:1
Male:Female0% Male, 0% Female52% Male, 48% Female
Location Facts

Two Campuses: Downtown Campus, located between Montreal and Mount Royal Park; Macdonald Campus, located on the western tip of the island of Montreal


Harvard Yard: Campus’s historic hub, Harvard Square: Campus’s personal hagout destination with restaurants, cafe, bookstores, theater, shops. Well connected to the local neighborhood of Boston by public transport, the campus traverses the Charles River to near by Allston.


Library

Printed books - 4,851,382; E-books: 2,707,183; Printed journals- 33,706 and E- journals - 1,15,228


Largest academic library in the world. 20.4 million volumes, 400 million manuscript items, 180,000 serial titles. The library offers various grants and fellowships for both students and faculty. 


Campus Life

The campus offers Macappella, Happy Geet, MAC and MAC Agro Ecology group, Robotics, Food Science Association, CERES, Gorilla Composition, Happy Belly, and Judging Club.Join/attend/enjoy 700 musical performances each year, athletic competitions, art, theatre, and other extracurricular activities.  


Students from over 50 states and 80 countries are offered assistance by over 400 official student organization. The campus has its own museum, radio station, magazine and newspaper. Along with student clubs for Aikikai, archery, dance, theatre/drama, music, etc, campus also offers cultural & racial initiatives, asian student centric-projects, etc. Varsity sports, crimson pride and various atheletic teams.  


Hostel#Double Room--Yearly - $16904
#Single Room--Yearly - $17845
#Medium Single - $10404
#Large Single - $13248
#Standard Single - $8037
Famous Alumni

Justin Trudeau (Prime minister of Canada), Daliso Chaponda (Comedian), William Osler (world renowned physician), Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (American Football player), Mackenzie Davis (Actress), Ken Dryden (Former member of parliament), and Leonard Cohen (Singer).


Eight US Presidents, 62 living billionaires, 242 Marshall Scholars, 359 Rhodes scholars. Barak Obama (ex-president of USA), Michelle Obama (Former First Lady of USA), Mark Zuckerberg, Natalie Portman (Actress), Bill Gates, Conan O’ Brien (comedian writer), Al Gore (Winner-Peace Prize), Matt Damon (Actor), Helen Keller, Subramaniam Swami (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha)


City Life

Main industries of Quebec are mining, manufacturing. Water is one of the significant natural resources of Quebec. Therefore a lot of industries around hydroelectric power raised around the city. Montreal has cheap rents, various parks and cycling lanes, affordable public transit, and more.

For the flourishing industry, the unemployment rate is slightly higher than Canada. Women are financially independent as compared to 3/4th of men.


Cambridge- city in Massachusetts; home to a huge student community; city offers a great nightlife with gastropubs, live music, and cocktail bars. Boston’s cosmopolitan excitement is bus-ride away. Average salaries offered within the state are up to 97,5000 USD; Famous tourist attractions: Charles River, Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery, MIT Museum, CambrdgeSide, John Harvard Statue, Sanders Theatre; Unemployment rate- 3.2%


Weather
Comparison Notes

Both Harvard and McGill University are the prestigious universities of the world ranking within the top 50. Let's look at the following points of difference between the two of them for getting a better perspective.

  • McGill University ranks between 30th to 50th position among world universities while Harvard University ranks within the top 10.
  • According to scores given by QS News while ranking universities for 2020, Harvard University received much better scores than McGill University in all criteria except international students.
  • Harvard ranks at 1st on the World Reputation Ranking of 2019 and McGill ranks at 39.
  • According to THE scores too, the international outlook of McGill University is better than Harvard University.
  • With an acceptance rate of 45%, admission to McGill University is much easier than Harvard University which has an acceptance rate of 5%.
  • Cost of living in Canada for an international student is cheaper than living in the USA and this is reflected in the accommodation and meal plans of both the universities.

Graduate Employability Ranking 2020 of Harvard University is 5th. On the other hand, McGill University was not on the list. However, above 80% of the arts & science graduates and above 90% of the engineering & medicine graduates of the university get employment within two years of graduation.

Although Harvard University has better ranking, McGill University would be more compatible for international students due to its cheaper cost of study, better international outlook and higher acceptance rate.