HKU Retains Asia’s No. 1 Spot as Chinese Mainland Universities Make Strong Gains in QS 2027 Rankings

International higher education research organisation QS Quacquarelli Symonds today officially released the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027, featuring 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems, including 195 institutions making their debut in this year’s rankings.

Chinese Mainland recorded the largest number of participating institutions and the fastest growth of any higher education system, with 53 additional universities entering the rankings, bringing its total to 448.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) retained its position as Asia’s top university, followed by Peking University in second place. Tsinghua University ranked third, climbing six places year on year — the biggest improvement among universities in the top 10. City University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, rising three and two places.

The rest of the top 10 comprised Fudan University, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. NTU recorded a five-place decline compared with last year.

Among universities ranked in the global top 100, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) recorded the most significant improvement, climbing 81 places from 169th last year to 88th. SUTD is Singapore’s fourth autonomous public university. Its founding president was Professor Thomas L. Magnanti, former dean of the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The university maintains close and extensive collaboration with MIT.

Other institutions making notable gains of more than 30 places include Beihang University, Shandong University, INTI International University, Singapore Management University and Southeast University.

Regional Highlights

Chinese Mainland was one of only six higher education systems with previously ranked institutions to record an overall net increase in the number of ranked universities. The other five were Macao SAR, Tajikistan, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and Uzbekistan.

Hong Kong SAR recorded the strongest improvement among higher education systems with at least five ranked universities. Eight institutions improved their positions, while two fell, resulting in a net improvement rate of 55%. Hong Kong was one of the standout performers this year, demonstrating the strongest upward momentum among established higher education systems. It also had more universities in the top 10 than any other system, with several institutions achieving their highest-ever positions in the rankings.

Although the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University both fell outside the top five this year, Singapore remains one of Asia’s strongest higher education systems.

South Korea continued to strengthen its position at the top end of the rankings, despite a broader downward trend among its universities. Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University all improved their positions. South Korea had the second-highest number of universities in the top 20, behind only Chinese Mainland, with six institutions making the cut. This further consolidates the country's strong presence among Asia's leading universities.

Malaysia recorded broad-based improvements, accompanied by significant gains in internationalisation. Sixteen Malaysian universities achieved their highest-ever rankings, while the country’s institutions performed strongly across key measures including international student numbers, research collaboration and student exchange. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) achieved its best-ever position, while Sunway University entered the top 50 for the first time.

Japan was among the Asian higher education systems experiencing the sharpest overall declines. Nevertheless, the University of Tokyo continued to be regarded by academics and employers as one of the region’s leading institutions. Employer reputation remained a particular strength for Japan’s top universities.

Central Asia continued to make progress overall, led by Kazakhstan, which accounted for all universities from the region ranked in the top 100. Uzbekistan was among the fastest-growing higher education systems.

Indonesia added 22 universities to this year’s rankings, although most of its established institutions saw their positions decline. Universitas Gadjah Mada remained the country’s highest-ranked university. While its research performance weakened somewhat, student mobility continued to be a notable strength.

India’s leading universities experienced a broad-based decline, with all six of its top institutions falling in the rankings and the University of Delhi dropping out of the top 100. Nevertheless, India remains a research powerhouse in Asia, leading the region in research output and the number of academic staff holding doctoral degrees.

The Maldives made its debut in the rankings, with two institutions included: The Maldives National University and Villa College.