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ASIA¡¯S BEST UNIVERSITIES REVEALED BY TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION

• 551 universities rank in total compared to 489 in 2020, a 13% increase in participants
• 30 countries and regions represented in the rankings
• Five countries and regions represented in the top 10
• Chinese universities claim top two positions for the second year in a row
• Top four universities from 2020 are unchanged, mainland China¡¯s Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (1^st) retains top spot for the third consecutive year
• Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Singapore moves into the top five (5^th)
• Japan¡¯s Kyoto 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (10^th) is the only new entrant in this year¡¯s top 10
• 18 countries and regions see increase in participating universities
• 72 universities rank for the first time with Iran¡¯s Kurdistan 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Medical Sciences (45^th) the highest ranked debutant
• India sees three universities debut in top 200
• Qatar 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (35^th) sees impressive climb to become the first Qatar-based university to rank in the top 50
• View the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings in full here: /world-university-rankings/2021/regional-ranking
• View the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings methodology here: /world-university-rankings/asia-university-rankings-2021-methodology
  
  

2 June 2021

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ¡¯s best universities have been revealed today in the Times Higher Education (THE) 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings 2021. Comprising 551 universities (a 13% increase on the 489 that ranked in 2020) from 30 countries and regions, the rankings highlight the growing strength of higher education across the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn continent.

For the second year in a row, mainland Chinese universities claim the top two positions in the rankings through Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (1^st), which achieves top spot for the third consecutive year, and Peking 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (2^nd). Elsewhere in the top 10, Singapore¡¯s National 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Singapore (3^rd), and Hong Kong¡¯s 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Hong Kong (4^th), retain their 2020 positions. Singapore¡¯s Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Singapore (5^th) moves into the top five after finishing 6^th in 2020. The only new entrant in the top 10 is Japan¡¯s Kyoto 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (10^th), which climbs two places after ranking 12^th last year.

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Overall top 10

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With a record 31 institutions in the top 100, mainland China dominates the group, as 26 (84%) of them either improve or maintain their previous ranking positions. South Korea has the second most in the group (12), and Japan follows in third with 11, despite eight of those ranking in lower positions than last year. However, in terms of representation across the 2021 rankings, Japan is leading the way once again, with 116 universities qualifying (110 in 2020), and the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Tokyo (6^th) remains Japan¡¯s highest ranked institution. Mainland China follows in second, represented by 91 universities, 10 more than in 2020 (81), the biggest increase for any country or region. India (63), Iran (47), and Turkey (43) are the other leading countries for representation. Of the 30 countries and regions included in the 2021 rankings, 18 see an increase in participating universities.

72 universities make their debut this year, making the THE 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings the most competitive yet, with 10 debut institutions achieving positions in the top 200. Iran¡¯s Kurdistan 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Medical Sciences (45^th) is the highest ranked debutant this year and is joined in the top 100 by mainland China¡¯s debutant, Zhejiang Normal 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (89^th). India sees three universities debut in the top 200 as King George¡®s Medical 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (=139^th), Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (143^rd), and Mahatma Gandhi 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (154^th) all rank in the group.

Despite the new additions this year, those who qualified previously have still seen success. Five universities who ranked outside the top 50 last year move into the group, including Qatar 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ (35^th) who¡¯s impressive climb sees it become the first Qatar-based university to rank in the top 50. Furthermore, 12 universities who ranked outside the top 100 in 2020 climbed into the elite band, with a further 12 moving up the table into the 101-200 band (previously ranking outside the top 200 last year).

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Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer at THE, commented:

¡°The THE 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings are an important measure of the strength of higher education across the continent. While it is clear that mainland China is cementing its position as a regional, and global, leader ¨C with Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and Peking 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ claiming the top two spots for a second successive year ¨C the increasing numbers of participating universities highlights the growing competitiveness across the region. There are fantastic success stories throughout the table, with Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Singapore moving into the top five, Japan¡¯s Kyoto 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ in the top 10 for the first time in seven years, and India seeing three institutions debut in the top 200, to name just a few.

¡°It will be interesting to see what happens in the region over the coming years, and how universities across 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ adapt to the post-Covid world. Despite the difficulties caused by Covid-19, there may be an opportunity for 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn universities to attract and retain more regional students and academic staff as disruption to traditional talent flow continues.¡±