QS Asia University Rankings 2027
Hong Kong SAR leads as China rises, while India and Singapore face pressure
London (ANTARA/PRNewswire) – International higher education specialist QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released the 2027 edition of the QS World University Rankings: Asia.
The University of Hong Kong retained first place, ahead of Peking University. Tsinghua University rose to third. The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), fell to sixth and eighth, while City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) entered the top five.
Hong Kong has the most universities represented in the top 10, with five. No Indonesian university made the top 10, but two reached the top 20: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia achieved a record high of 20th, alongside the University of Science and Technology of China, which climbed from 21st.
The rankings cover 1,722 universities across 26 higher education systems, including 195 new entrants. Mainland China remains the largest and fastest-growing system, with 448 universities, up 53, ahead of India with 325 and Japan with 153.
Six systems improved overall: Macao SAR, Tajikistan, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Uzbekistan and mainland China. The Maldives made its debut in the rankings.
QS Senior Vice-President Ben Sowter said: “This year’s rankings are more competitive than ever, providing an important benchmarking tool for a region shaping global higher education. Research excellence, international engagement and reputation remain the foundations of success in an evolving university ecosystem.”
Key highlights
China leads in the number of institutions represented in the top 20 and among new entrants, supported by its reputation and research.
India performs strongly in research output and the proportion of staff with doctoral qualifications. IIT Delhi fell to 66th.
Japan excels in teaching resources and reputation. The University of Tokyo is ranked 27th.
South Korea’s leading universities improved their positions. Only China has more representatives in the top 20. Yonsei University follows in 11th place.
Hong Kong recorded the strongest improvement (+55%) and has the largest number of universities in the top 10.
Singapore’s leading universities fell out of the top five, while two institutions entered the top 100.
Indonesia’s Universitas Gadjah Mada (53rd) was named the country’s best university for the first time since 2021.
Thanks to strong internationalisation performance, 16 Malaysian universities achieved their highest-ever rankings. Universiti Malaya is 17th.
Central Asia’s expansion continues. Kazakhstan leads, while Uzbekistan’s representation is growing.
Thailand demonstrates strong student mobility and academic reputation. Chulalongkorn University remains the country’s highest-ranked institution, at 52nd.
Vietnam National University, Hanoi (159th) leads in Vietnam. Ten Vietnamese universities are now in the top 500.