University of Hong Kong unseats Singapore’s top varsity in influential Asia ranking, as Peking University holds onto first place
- The National University of Singapore falls to third place, as mainland China’s Tsinghua University also drops one spot to fourth in Quacquarelli Symonds ranking
- ‘Hong Kong’s universities stand out for their scholarly influence, yet they fall behind in research output,’ QS Senior Vice-President Ben Sowter says
Hong Kong’s oldest university has unseated the leading varsity in Singapore and reclaimed second place in an influential league table for Asia, while mainland China’s Peking University has held onto the top spot for the second year in a row.
A breakdown of the rankings from British firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed five of Hong Kong’s universities had gone up the list, three had fallen, one remained in the same place and another entered the charts.
The company behind the Asian University Rankings 2024 also announced on Wednesday that the city’s universities had produced research with exceptionally high-impact, as shown by their performance in the category of citations per paper.
“Hong Kong’s universities stand out for their scholarly influence, yet they fall behind in research output,” Quacquarelli Symonds senior vice-president Ben Sowter said.
“A downward trend in metrics for international faculty and students is apparent, signalling an imperative for university leaders and policymakers to focus on bolstering Hong Kong’s stature as a premier study destination to sustain its competitive edge on the world stage,” he said.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) surpassed the National University of Singapore in the new rankings, reclaiming its position as first runner-up after a five-year hiatus.
“The University of Hong Kong is Hong Kong’s most collaborative institution in terms of cross-border research … [it] is the highest-rated institution by both academics and employers alike,” Quacquarelli Symonds said.