B.C. universities topped the Maclean’s rankings yet again, with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU) coming first in their respective categories.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Victoria (UVic) also finished in the medals, placing third in their categories.

“Congratulations to our B.C. universities for the well-deserved national recognition,” said Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “The Maclean’s rankings confirm our universities are on the right track with an unerring focus on high-quality education and outstanding research that is among the best in the country, if not the very best.”

The annual rankings place universities into one of three categories – medical doctoral, comprehensive and primarily undergraduate – to recognize the difference in levels of research, funding, diversity of offerings and various graduate and professional programs.

British Columbia was number one in two categories. SFU was first in the comprehensive category while UVic was third. UNBC was number one for the first time ever in the primarily undergraduate category. UBC was third in the medical doctoral category.

“Our public post-secondary education system is the envy of the country with a top three representation in each category,” said Wilkinson. “This incredible result reflects the commitment of faculty and staff, the achievements of students past and present as well as the contributions from supporters and champions of our public post-secondary education system.”

Universities within each category are ranked on performance indicators based on five broad areas: students (28%), faculty (24%), resources (20%), student support (13%) and reputation (15%). Maclean’s added a student satisfaction survey this year.