Asia-Pacific dominates list of world’s best young universities

Asian universities have taken four of the top five positions in an annual list of the world’s best universities under fifty years of age. The 2021 edition of the QS Top 50 Under 50 Rankings, released today by global higher education analysts QS Quacquarelli Symonds, sees Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) retain its status as the world’s leading young institution.

NTU is closely followed by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, South Korea’s KAIST, and City University of Hong Kong. All of the top four institutions have also reached the global top-50 in the overall QS World University Rankings_ despite their relatively recent formation.

Beyond the top-ten, the strengths of other higher education sectors in the Asia-Pacific region are also evidenced by this ranking. Australia, with nine featured universities among the fifty, enjoys higher levels of representation than any other location. Seven of those nine featured universities have improved their position in the overall QS World University Rankings this year.

Europe’s top young university is Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres), which has immediately established itself as one of the world’s top 100 universities in the short time since it gained collegiate university status by decree in 2019. Its also-youthful
compatriot, Sorbonne University, places 8th, behind The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (6th) and South Korea’s Pohang University of Science and Technology (7th).

The top ten is completed by Finland’s Aalto University and Universiti Putra Malaysia, the latter of whom is a debutant among the top ten, and which epitomises the recent rise of Malaysia’s higher education sector.

Further down the rankings, there are also noteworthy performances from universities in the Arab Region. Khalifa University of the United Arab Emirates now ranks 15th, while Qatar University now places 21st – both record highs. Neither featured within the top 25 in last year’s edition.

Only one Latin American university – Argentina’s University of Palermo, ranked 48th – features among the top fifty.

The average age of the top ten universities is 25.4 years, with three - Université PSL, Sorbonne University, and Aalto University – having been formed by foundation or merger within the last decade.

QS Top 50 Under 50 Rankings: Top-Ten

RANK

2021

2020

Institution Name

Location

Est. Year

1

13

11=

Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

SG

1991†

2

27=

32

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

HK

1991

3

39

41

KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

KR

1971

4

48

52

City University of Hong Kong

HK

1984

5

52

53

Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres)

FR

2018

6

75

91

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

HK

1994†

7

77=

87

Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)

KR

1986

8

83

77

Sorbonne University

FR

2018*†

9

127

134

Aalto University

FI

2010*†[1]

10

132

159

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)

MY

1973†

Ben Sowter, Director of Research at QS, said: “Behind QS’s decision to publish a list of the world’s top 50 young universities are two recognitions. The first is that reputations, resources, and world-class outcomes are typically built over time, and, in the higher education sector, the period over which some institutions have been able to do so has been one of centuries. We are therefore keen to illuminate the outstanding achievements made by universities that have not enjoyed the same historical advantages as their competitors.”

Sowter continued: “The second is that the higher education is not static; it is in flux, and, by identifying trends across this particular ranking, it is possible to identify those higher education sectors that are becoming increasingly – or less – prominent. As the world faces unprecedented higher education demand, such capacity-building work demands the creation of new institutions equipped to teach and research to world-class standards. Our results show that, beyond the widely-anticipated initial success of France’s mergers, the strongest challengers to established hierarchies are in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The full rankings can be found at www.TopUniversities.com from Wednesday 24th June, 00:01 GMT. It will also include the ‘Next 100 Under 50’, meaning that the published table will enumerate the 150 best universities under 50 years of age.