Deciding to continue his education, Reid enrolled at the University of Toronto and then transferred to the Collegiate Institute in Hamilton, Ontario. He then transferred to McGill University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1881. Reid decided to enter the ministry, and studied theology for two years at Union Theological Seminary in New York city. This was followed by two more years of theological study at The Presbyterian College of Montreal, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. He spent another year in theological study at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.