2010 QS Asian University Rankings reveal top-class institutions throughout region

The global position of Asia’s universities is showcased in the 2010 QS Asian University Rankings, published today. With 11 countries represented in the top 200, highlights of the research include the continued dominance of Japan’s universities and the success of Hong Kong’s increasingly internationalized institutions, which take three out of the top four places.

Measuring factors including the quality of research through citations, and the proportion of international students and staff, the rankings indicate that an international outlook adds considerably to the reputation and status of universities in the region.

Despite scoring highly in the academic and employer surveys, China’s top universities, led by University of Peking (12) and Tsinghua University(16), are again out-performed by their Hong Kong counterparts. Hong Kong’s more international university culture is reflected in the international student and faculty measures, for which four of them achieve the maximum score.

Brian Hoffman, a US national and graduate of The University of Hong Kong, said: “I chose Hong Kong first and foremost because it has some of the most reputable English-speaking universities in Asia. More and more Western students are becoming aware of the growing influence of Asian countries in global affairs, and are seeking out opportunities to build a greater understanding of this increasingly important part of our world.”

Japanese universities occupy 57 of the top 200 and five of the top ten places in this year’s table. Government-led investment, most recently through the ‘Global 30’ program, has helped drive up standards by attracting high-quality international students and staff, areas of the rankings in which Japanese universities excel.

The rise of NUS to third place overall is underpinned by a strong performance in the international faculty, international students and academic peer review measures, amidst a drive to internationalize Singapore’s universities.

Strength in academic peer recognition helped 15 South Korean universities and seven Indian Institutes of Technology appear in the Asian top 100.

QS Managing Director, Nunzio Quacquarelli says, “The delivery of high-quality research, excellent employer networks and world-class facilities mean many of these top 200 Asian universities are playing an increasingly important role within the global knowledge economy”.

The QS Asian Rankings are part of an expansion to the QS World University Rankings™, which have been running since 2004 and are the most widely-referenced general ranking of global comprehensive universities. This is set to include additional regional rankings, to be announced in the coming months.

For full results and key methodological differences between the QS World University Rankings™ and the QS Asian University Rankings go to www.topuniversities.com.