McGill University Admitted Student Profiles & Alumni

Leonard Cohen

Iconic singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist

BA

1955

Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister of Canada

BA

1994

William Shatner

Actor best known as Captain Kirk in Star Trek

BA

1952

Burt Bacharach

Grammy and Oscar-winning composer

BA

1948 (briefly attended)

Samantha Bee

Comedian and TV host (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee)

BA

1992

Julie Payette

Astronaut, former Governor General of Canada

BEng

1986

Marc Garneau

First Canadian in space, former Minister of Foreign Affairs

BEng

1970

John Ralston Saul

Philosopher and former husband of Governor General Adrienne Clarkson

BA

1969

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga

Former President of Latvia

BA

1958

Denis Villeneuve

Oscar-nominated director (Dune, Arrival)

BA

N/A

Alan Emtage

Inventor of the first Internet search engine (Archie)

BS

1987

Joanne Liu

Former International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

MD

1991

Brenda Milner

Pioneer in neuropsychology and memory research

PhD

1952

Henry Mintzberg

Leading management thinker and author

PhD

1968

Naheed Nenshi

Former Mayor of Calgary

BComm

1993

Stephen Toope

Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge

BA, LLB

1979, 1983

Andrew Scheer

Former Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada

BA

2008

Rupi Kaur

Poet and author (Milk and Honey) (briefly attended)

N/A

N/A

Michael Ondaatje

Booker Prize-winning author of The English Patient

BA

1965

Heather Munroe-Blum

Former Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill

PhD

1980

Charles Taylor

Philosopher and Templeton Prize winner

BA

1952

Tom Mulcair

Former Leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party

BCL, LLB

1976

Julie Snyder

Popular Quebec TV host and producer

BA

1986

Jonathan Goldstein

Author and radio producer (WireTap, Heavyweight)

BA

1992

Ariela Freedman

Academic and writer

PhD

2000

David H. Levy

Astronomer who co-discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9

PhD

2000

Rufus Wainwright

Singer-songwriter (briefly studied music at McGill)

N/A

N/A

Julie Nesrallah

Opera singer and CBC Radio host

BMus

1995

Zachary B. H. Solomon

Co-founder of Dialogue Health Technologies

MBA

2012