QS Quacquarelli Symonds, compiler of the world's most-consulted university rankings portfolio, released its latest assessment of Asia's 500 best universities on Oct 24. The National University of Singapore takes back first place in the Asian ranking from its neighbor, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), while the University of Hong Kong (HKU) moves up three places to second. However, universities from the Chinese mainland have made the most significant impact overall. There are five Chinese mainland universities in the top 20 – two more than last year – and every single one has improved its list position.

112 universities which appear in the new and expanded ranking are from the Chinese mainland, with many of them improving their position since last year. Tsinghua is the leading institution from the Chinese mainland, ranking 3rd regionally, followed by Peking University (5th), Fudan University (6th), Zhejiang University (13th), and Shanghai Jiaotong University (19th).

Altogether, 157 universities from China are in the global Top 500 (112 from Chinese mainland, 7 from Hong Kong, 36 from Taiwan and 2 from Macau), dominating the list in terms of the sheer number of universities featured this year, followed by Japan (89), India (75), and South Korea (57).

Ten Chinese mainland universities are in the top-50 for academic reputation, the indicator based on a global survey of 83,877 academics, while eight universities make the top-50 for employer reputation, based on a global survey of 42,862 recruiters.

Chinese mainland institutions really shine when it comes to research indicators. There are 22 of them among the top-50 for the Citations per Paper indicator which measures the influence of research papers produced. There are also 16 top-50 universities in regards to research productivity and 15 top-50 universities in the new indicator International Research Network, which gives credit to the volume of collaboration with universities outside of the home country. The only research-related indicator where the Chinese mainland underperforms is in the proportion of staff with a Ph.D., with only one university in the top-50.

Chinese mainland universities are also improving in internationalization indicators, with 13 institutions in the top-50 list dealing with the proportion of international faculty and 13 in the top-50 for the percentage of international students.

Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, China Director, QS Intelligence Unit says: “The successful implementation of ‘Double First-Class University Strategy’ has enhanced the global impact of Chinese education. More and more Chinese universities have successfully collaborated with top universities overseas, producing high-quality joint publications. With increased global academic and employer reputation, more and more talented students are attracted to study and work in China, which has laid a solid foundation for China to become a robust Education Nation. China could also attach great importance in establishing a world-class university management framework through the use of AI-related pedagogical innovation and digitalization. They could create more multidisciplinary platforms in cutting-edge research areas to cultivate forward-thinking talents who are actively engaged in global knowledge transfer, contributing more to prosperity both at home and overseas”.