Asian University Rankings: Times Higher Education

Times Higher Education have crowned China the top Asian country for studying at higher education level, with a total of 31 Chinese institutions taking their place in the top 100 Asian universities. Tsinghua University led the way topping the rankings this year, whilst placing 16th in the World University Rankings.

The top 100 Asian universities saw 20 nations make the rankings, with East Asia showing its excellence across the board with: 31 from mainland China, 11 in the Republic of South Korea, 6 from Japan, 6 from Taiwan, 5 in Hong Kong and 2 from Macao. Other nations which featured include: Bruneil Darussalam, India, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

The top 10 are:

1. Tsinghua University (China),
2. Peking University (China),
3. National University of Singapore (Singapore),
4. University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
5. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (Singapore)
6. Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
7. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong)
8. The University of Tokyo (Japan)
=9. Fudan University (China)
=9. Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China)

These universities are of a world-class standard, and provide amazing research opportunities, although there are a number of specialist institutions in the rankings that did not make it into the top 10, or even the top 20.

Institutions are ranked using specific criteria that looks at; teaching, international outlook of staff and students, industry incomes, the research carried out at the university and its reputation, and its citations in the field of research influence.

China has the strongest selection of research universities, although Japan also ranks strongly here, Japan having had a 25-year head start on its neighbouring countries, opening its doors to applicants significantly earlier.

Although China came top this year, other institutions across Asia are coming close to achieving the same as their Chinese equivalents. The National University of Singapore came a close third, followed closely by The University of Hong Kong.

The top six Chinese institutions in the table are described as China’s ‘Ivy League’ and it is these places of higher education that have rivalled Japan for it’s traditional spot at the top of the tables. These universities are part of an elite group of institutions, which receive specific focussed funding from the central government to carry out its research and support students. With such a force as the Chinese government behind them, it is not only the Japanese institutions that will potentially be overtaken, but also the established powerhouses of international education – the British, Australian, and American universities.

Whilst we are focussing generally on the movements at the top of the table, it is also worth mentioning that in countries such as South Korea, universities are rising up the rankings. Whereas before, research institutes under government power overshadowed them, now these universities are really starting to shine.

On the whole, universities and institutions in Asia are really beginning to give the Western world something to think about. We’ve already spoken about the increase in quality within Asian universities, and these latest figures, whilst isolated to Asia, paint a similar picture. Asia is on the rise in the international education market.