Hong Kong is enhancing its status as a leading education hub in Asia, with five local universities making it into the top 10 of the latest Asia university rankings, surpassing institutions from mainland China and Singapore.
According to the annual Asia university rankings released on November 4 by the British education information organization QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) maintained its first-place position for the second consecutive year. City University of Hong Kong (CityU) climbed three spots to fourth place, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) rose two spots to fifth. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) ranked ninth, sharing the position with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This marks a significant achievement, as three universities from Hong Kong are now in the top five.
CityU excelled in internationalization metrics, including the ratio of international faculty and the number of exchange students, securing the top spot in that category. All 11 universities in Hong Kong ranked within the top 500 in Asia. Ben Sowter, QS's senior vice president, noted that the entry of five Hong Kong universities into the top 10 is an outstanding achievement compared to any other higher education system in Asia, with eight of the 11 ranked universities improving their positions. He emphasized that Hong Kong's status as a global education hub is becoming increasingly robust.
Mainland Chinese universities also made significant strides in the rankings. Peking University held its second-place position, while Tsinghua University surged from ninth to third. Fudan University ranked sixth. A total of three universities from mainland China are now in the top 10, and the number of mainland Chinese universities in the top 100 has reached a record high of 28.
National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, down from a tie for third place last year. Among South Korean universities, Yonsei University achieved the highest ranking at 11th, followed by Korea University at 12th, KAIST and Sungkyunkwan University tied at 15th, and Seoul National University at 16th.
This QS Asia university ranking evaluated 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems in Asia, using 11 indicators, including academic reputation, the proportion of faculty with doctoral degrees, graduate employability, research quality and productivity, and campus internationalization. However, concerns were raised regarding the concentration of internationalization efforts at Hong Kong universities on attracting students from mainland China. Official statistics indicate that 72% of the approximately 20,000 non-local undergraduate students in Hong Kong last academic year were from mainland China.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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