McGill University
English-language public research university in Montreal, founded 1821.
McGill University is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1821 under a royal charter and is named after James McGill, a Scottish merchant whose 1813 bequest led to the creation of the University of McGill College. The institution’s name was officially changed to McGill University in 1885.
The university enrolls over 39,000 students. Its main campus sits on the slope of Mount Royal in downtown Montreal’s Ville-Marie borough, while a second campus is located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, about 30 kilometers west of the main campus on Montreal Island. McGill is one of only a few universities outside the United States that belong to the Association of American Universities (alongside the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia), and it is the sole Canadian member of the Global University Leaders Forum within the World Economic Forum. The university offers degrees and diplomas in more than 300 fields of study, with most students enrolled in its six largest faculties: Arts, Science, Medicine and Health Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Management.
Among its alumni, faculty, and affiliates are 15 Nobel laureates, 149 Rhodes Scholars, one Turing Award winner, three Canadian prime ministers, two governors general of Canada, and 15 justices of the Supreme Court of Canada. McGill alumni also include four Pulitzer Prize winners and 121 Olympians who have collectively won over 35 Olympic medals.
The Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning (RIAL) was created in 1801 under an act of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada, which authorized the operation of two new Royal Grammar Schools, in Quebec City and Montreal. This legislation marked a shift in public education in Lower Canada, as the government agreed to support school costs and a schoolmaster’s salary, and it was an early step toward non-denominational schools. When James McGill died in 1813, his bequest was administered by the RIAL. By the mid-19th century, the RIAL had lost control of most of the grammar schools it once ran, but it took over the High School of Montreal in 1853 and operated it until 1870. After that, its sole remaining purpose was to manage the McGill bequest for the private college.
Quick Facts
- Other Names
- fr · Université McGill
- Former Names
- McGill College or University of McGill College (1821–1885)
- Motto
- la · Grandescunt Aucta Labore · On legend: la · In Domino Confido
- Motto Eng
- "By work, all things increase and grow" · On legend: "I trust in the Lord"
- Established
- 1821-03-31
- Founders
- James McGill
- Sporting Affiliations
- U Sports – RSEQ, CUFLA, NEISA
- Academic Affiliations
- AAU · ACU · AUF · BCI · CBIE · GULF · UArctic · UNAI · Universities Canada · U15
- Endowment
- 2.495billion
- Budget
- 1.555billion
- Chair
- Maryse Bertrand
- Chancellor
- Pierre Boivin
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
James McGill, born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1744, was a successful merchant in Quebec involved in the fur trade. He was also a slave owner, with at least five Black and Indigenous people enslaved in his household. Between 1811 and 1813, he drew up a will leaving his Burnside estate and £10,000 to the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning, with the condition that the funds be used to establish a university or college within ten years of his death. After legal battles with his wife's heirs, McGill College received a royal charter from King George IV on March 31, 1821.
The university was inactive until 1829, when it absorbed the Montreal Medical Institution—which had been founded in 1823 as Canada's first medical school—as its first academic unit. The Faculty of Medicine granted the first medical degree in Canada in 1833.
Reader's Guide
McGill University holds a significant place in Canadian and international higher education as one of the oldest universities in Canada and a leading research institution. Its founding through a bequest from James McGill established a model for private philanthropy in public education. The university's development from a single medical faculty to a comprehensive institution with over 300 fields of study reflects the growth of higher education in Canada. McGill's membership in the Association of American Universities and the Global University Leaders Forum underscores its global standing. The university's history includes both achievements, such as pioneering medical education and women's education, and complex legacies, including James McGill's involvement in slavery. Its alumni network includes numerous Nobel laureates, Rhodes Scholars, and leaders in Canadian government and law, contributing to its reputation as a cradle for national and international leadership.
Did You Know?
- McGill is one of two members of the Association of American Universities located outside the United States, alongside the University of Toronto.
- The first medical degree in Canada was awarded by McGill's Faculty of Medicine in 1833.
- Women's education at McGill began in 1884, with the first degrees granted to women in 1888.
- James McGill was a slave owner, and his household enslaved at least five Black and Indigenous people.
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