University of Waterloo vs Smith School of Business, Queen's University: which trading school is better?
As of October 28, 2026, University of Waterloo leads Smith School of Business, Queen's University by 1.3 point in the 2027 trading school ranking: #165 internationally against #203. The gap comes mainly from the Visibility and Student reviews pillars. Smith School of Business, Queen's University does better on Recognition and employability and Teaching. On Trust, they are level.
2027 edition · updated October 28, 2026 · next updates planned for December 2026 and January 2027 · Ranking methodology
All 25 criteria, side by side
| Criterion | University of Waterloo | Smith School of Business, Queen's University |
|---|---|---|
| Score out of 100 | 61.3 | 60.0 |
| International rank | #165 | #203 |
| Rank in Canada | #4 of 23 | #5 of 23 |
| Trust · 10 % | 4.14/5 | 4.00/5 |
| 1. Regulator warnings | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 2. Registered company and age | 5/5 | n/a |
| 3. Transparency: price, refunds, legal notice, contact | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| 4. Named, verifiable instructors | 3/5 | 1/5 |
| 5. Honest marketing, no promise of profit | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| 6. Secure website | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 7. Protected domain (SPF, DMARC, headers) | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Teaching · 20 % | 1.00/5 | 1.33/5 |
| 8. Curriculum coverage | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| 9. Real practice | 1/5 | 2/5 |
| 10. Mentoring and support | 1/5 | 1/5 |
| 11. Cost per training hour | 1/5 | n/a |
| Student reviews · 20 % | 4.50/5 | 4.00/5 |
| 13. Student rating (Trustpilot and Google) | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| 14. Number of reviews | 5/5 | 3/5 |
| 15. Suspicious review warning | n/a | n/a |
| 16. 12-month trend | n/a | n/a |
| Recognition and employability · 30 % | 2.17/5 | 2.67/5 |
| 12. Degree-granting program | 5/5 | 1/5 |
| 18. Degree recognized by a state or the profession | 1/5 | 4/5 |
| 25. Employability and career outcomes | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| 17. Institutional accreditation | 1/5 | 4/5 |
| 19. Labels and awards | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| 20. Official partners | 1/5 | 2/5 |
| Visibility · 20 % | 4.50/5 | 3.67/5 |
| 21. Domain age | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 22. Websites linking to it | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| 23. Press mentions, Wikipedia page | 5/5 | – |
| 24. Social media audience | 3/5 | 1/5 |
In green, the better of the two scores. “n/a”: not applicable, the criterion is left out of its pillar. “–”: criterion not yet assessed. The evidence and source for each score are on each school's listing.
University of Waterloo: full listingSmith School of Business, Queen's University: full listing