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Best young universities in the world 2024

Explore the best universities under 50 years old using Times Higher Education’s university rankings data

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May 14 2024
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Top 10 best young universities 2024

Scroll down for the top 100 and a link to the full ranking

Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rank 2024Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rank 202351¹ú²úÊÓÆµCountry/region
11Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ, SingaporeSingapore
23Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ ParisFrance
32The Hong Kong 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
46City 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Hong KongHong Kong
512Université Paris-SaclayFrance
68Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
74Hong Kong Polytechnic 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµHong Kong
815Sorbonne 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFrance
914Pohang 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
1013Maastricht 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµNetherlands

When choosing which university to attend, it can be easy to get distracted by the old guard: those institutions that have been around for centuries and which dominate the upper echelons of the Times Higher Education World 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings 2024. Names such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Princeton spring to mind. 

But many more institutions also deserve your attention. °Õ±á·¡â€™s 2024 Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings reveal the best universities under 50 years old, assessing them across teaching, research, international outlook and their work with industry. In fact, the rankings were created using the same methodology as for the THE World 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings but the weightings have been recalibrated to reflect the missions of younger universities. The full methodology can be found here, and you can explore the top 100 universities by scrolling down.

Top five universities in the Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings 2024

1. Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ, Singapore 

Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ, Singapore is one of the highest-ranked 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµn institutions in the THE World 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings. 

The university was established in 1991. Its main garden campus is in Jurong and it also has a site in Novena, Singapore’s medical district.

The university has 25,000 students from more than 100 nations. NTU also has strong ties with many institutions across the globe, including Peking 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ.

2. Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Paris, France

PSL is a collegiate university formed in 2010 with the aim of becoming one of the world’s leading research universities. It was originally made up of five institutions but has since grown to incorporate 25 self-governing academic and research institutions.

PSL’s main sites are in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The university aims to boost research output from France and has developed strategic partnerships with Technion Israel Institute of Technology, among others.

3. The Hong Kong 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

HKUST consistently ranks as one of the best universities in Hong Kong as well as being in the top 100 in the world. 

As its name suggests, HKUST focuses on providing students with a high-quality education within the realms of science and technology. 

The university was established in 1991 and, in 2022, it introduced a scheme called HKUST 2.0, which covers its plans for development. These include the opening of a new campus in Guangzhou and ideas for how the two campuses will work together to improve teaching and learning at the institution. 

4. City 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

City 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Hong Kong was established in 1994.

The university has nine main schools offering courses in business, science, engineering, liberal arts, social sciences, law and veterinary medicine.

CUHK is located on an urban campus in Kowloon. There are more than 80 student clubs and societies as well as a number of sports teams. 

5. Université Paris-Saclay, France

Université Paris-Saclay was formed in 2019.

The university is part of the Paris-Saclay project, which brings together nine higher education institutions and a business cluster on a research-intensive academic campus. The campus is being developed on the Plateau de Saclay on the southern outskirts of the city. This model is similar to the one adopted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, where each college keeps its independence while remaining part of the university.


The 100 best young universities 2024

Click each institution to view its full World 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings 2024 results

Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rank 2024Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rank 202351¹ú²úÊÓÆµCountry/region
11Nanyang Technological 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ, SingaporeSingapore
23Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ ParisFrance
32The Hong Kong 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
46City 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Hong KongHong Kong
512Université Paris-SaclayFrance
68Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
74Hong Kong Polytechnic 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµHong Kong
815Sorbonne 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFrance
914Pohang 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
1013Maastricht 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµNetherlands
11951¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Technology SydneyAustralia
12751¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of AntwerpBelgium
1319Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – PisaItaly
14=2651¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of MacauMacao
1510Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)South Korea
163051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of WollongongAustralia
=17=26Queensland 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of TechnologyAustralia
=17=2251¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of PotsdamGermany
1911Université Paris CitéFrance
202551¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of LuxembourgLuxembourg
2140Aalto 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFinland
=22=35Aalborg 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµDenmark
=22=22Medical 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of ViennaAustria
=2417Southern 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and Technology (SUSTech)China
=24=43Swinburne 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of TechnologyAustralia
2616Medical 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of GrazAustria
27=49Khalifa 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Arab Emirates
=2818Pompeu Fabra 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµSpain
=2853RMIT 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
3021Medical 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of InnsbruckAustria
3139Linköping 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµSweden
32=79Universiti Teknologi PetronasMalaysia
=3337Curtin 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
=33NRDaegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)South Korea
=3546Griffith 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
=3529Humanitas 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµItaly
3742Deakin 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
=38=26Macau 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and TechnologyMacao
=385951¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of BayreuthGermany
=40=85Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)South Korea
=4020Vita-Salute San Raffaele 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµItaly
42=6051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Rome II – Tor VergataItaly
435251¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of South AustraliaAustralia
4432Università della Svizzera italianaSwitzerland
4554Tampere 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFinland
46101–150Hong Kong Baptist 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµHong Kong
4738United Arab Emirates 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Arab Emirates
4833Western Sydney 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
=4997National Yang Ming Chiao Tung 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµTaiwan
=4971Swedish 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Agricultural SciencesSweden
51=55Montpellier 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFrance
=52=55Koç 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµTurkey
=52151–200National Taiwan 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech)Taiwan
54=89Sabancı 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµTurkey
55101–150Université Grenoble AlpesFrance
56=81Institut AgroFrance
57101–150Constructor 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµGermany
58=5551¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Southern QueenslandAustralia
59=89Dublin City 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµIreland
=6058Abu Dhabi 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Arab Emirates
=60=60IMT AtlantiqueFrance
=60151–20051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of JohannesburgSouth Africa
63101–150Centrale NantesFrance
6483Edith Cowan 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
653451¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of CanberraAustralia
66=6051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of PassauGermany
67=87Shenzhen 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµChina
68=92Free 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Bozen-BolzanoItaly
69=4351¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates
70101–150Victoria 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
71=95Universiti Utara MalaysiaMalaysia
72151–20051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of LimerickIreland
=73=77Aix-Marseille 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµFrance
=737251¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of VaasaFinland
=7369Verona 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµItaly
=76=60Charles Darwin 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
=76=6551¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of Milan-BicoccaItaly
787551¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of BordeauxFrance
79NRCampus Bio-Medico 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of RomeItaly
80151–200Concordia 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµCanada
81=77Mahatma Gandhi 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµIndia
8247Australian Catholic 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia
83=6551¹ú²úÊÓÆµ 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ, TaiwanTaiwan
84=8151¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of KwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa
85101–150Shiraz 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of TechnologyIran
86=85Maynooth 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµIreland
88151–20051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of HuddersfieldUnited Kingdom
=8968Universiti Brunei DarussalamBrunei Darussalam
=89101–15051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of CyprusCyprus
91101–15051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of MonsBelgium
92101–15051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of PlymouthUnited Kingdom
93=6051¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of California, MercedUnited States
94201–250Yangzhou 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµChina
9541Bournemouth 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Kingdom
=96201–250Anna 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµIndia
=96101–150Northumbria 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Kingdom
=98=49Auckland 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ of TechnologyNew Zealand
=98151–200Zayed 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµUnited Arab Emirates
100151–200Southern Cross 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµAustralia

See the full Young 51¹ú²úÊÓÆµ Rankings 2024 here 

Editor’s note: As part of our THE statement on Ukraine published on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.


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