London, 25 November 2020: The National University of Singapore is named as the continent’s best university for the third consecutive year, as per The 2021 QS World University Rankings: Asia. China’s Tsinghua University rises to 2nd – its highest position in the history of the ranking, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University enters the top ten for the first time.

Six of Asia’s top ten universities for research productivity are Indian. However, Indian research quality does not match quantity, and Indian teaching capacity and employability scores decline.

The 650 featured universities can be found in 18 locations across Asia. The most-represented location is Mainland China (124 ranked universities). Its closest competitor systems are India (107), Japan (105), South Korea (88), Taiwan (43), Pakistan (40), Malaysia (35), and Indonesia (30).

Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, said: “This year’s results reiterate the intensely competitive, intensely dynamic nature of Asian higher education. China’s best universities continue to progress, Japanese higher education is stagnating – and Malaysia remains on the rise.”

QS Quacquarelli Symonds, global higher education think-tank and compilers of the world’s most-consulted university rankings portfolio, have today released the latest edition of their annual list of Asia’s best higher education institutions. The 2021 QS World University Rankings: Asia compares 650 universities and is QS’s most extensive independent comparison of the region’s higher education system. The table accounts for eleven key indicators of university performance, which capture academic standing, graduate employability, research quality, web presence, internationalization on campus, and the diversity of each institution’s international collaborations.

China’s Tsinghua University rises to 2nd – its highest position in the history of the ranking, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University enters the top ten for the first time.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is Hong Kong’s top university, but drops one place.

Universiti Malaya breaks into the top ten for the first time ever, and 24 of Malaysia’s 35 universities have improved their position.

Japan has more universities in the top 50 of the ranking (11) than any other nation, location, or territory.

South Korea’s top university is Korea University (12th).

Six of Asia’s top ten universities for research productivity are Indian. However, Indian research quality does not match quantity, and Indian teaching capacity and employability scores decline.

QS World University Rankings: Asia 2021 – Regional Top Ten