University NewsUCW ranks first again for most Scopus-indexed publications among private institutions
For the second straight year, University Canada West (UCW) produced the most Scopus-indexed research publications among private post-secondary institutions in Canada. Scopus is one of the world’s most reputable scientific indexing databases.
In the report, UCW researchers contributed 174 Scopus-indexed publications in 2025, the highest output among all private institutions in Canada. This result positions UCW as a national leader in private university research and reflects continued momentum in the quality and level of scholarly activity across the university.
“This achievement speaks to the dedication of our faculty and the intentional support UCW provides for research excellence,” said Dr. Bashir Makhoul, President & Vice-Chancellor.
“Our researchers are producing work that contributes meaningfully to their fields while elevating UCW’s reputation within Canada and beyond.”
This is the second year in a row that UCW has ranked first among private institutions in Canada.
At the provincial level, when both public and private post-secondary institutions in British Columbia are considered, UCW ranked seventh overall. This performance places UCW solidly in the upper tier of scholarly production among all BC universities and colleges.
While behind global research leaders such as UBC, UCW is outpacing notable public institutions including Vancouver Island University (VIU), Royal Roads University (RRU) and British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
Top 15 Universities/Colleges in BC by number of Scopus-Indexed Publications in 2025*
*Note: These figures are reported as absolute publication counts and are not normalized by faculty size or institutional mandate.
These findings reflect a strong and expanding research culture at UCW, supported by institutional priorities that encourage scholarly engagement and knowledge creation. As UCW continues to invest in research capacity and faculty development, the university is well-positioned to build on this momentum in the years ahead.
Dr. Stewart Fast, Director of the Office of Research and Scholarship, commented on the achievement.
“UCW professors excel at generating cutting-edge ideas. The scholarly community here is strong and has the capacity and expertise to expand UCW’s already significant contribution to impactful research for industry, community groups and knowledge users of all types,” he said.
Dr. Hamed Taherdoost, Associate Professor at UCW, conducted the study using Scopus, a major scientific indexing database. The analysis covers fields of study, university contributions, authors, citations and publishers.
The full analysis of the findings will be published in a science policy publication in the coming weeks. This story will be updated with a link when the study is published.
