The University of Hong Kong has emerged as Asia’s best university, rising from second position in 2025.
Peking University in China, last year’s top university, now stands second, followed by the National University of Singapore (third), its compatriot Nanyang Technological University (fourth), Fudan University (fifth), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (sixth), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (seventh), City University of Hong Kong (eighth), Tsinghua University (ninth), and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (10th).
China (Mainland) and India continued to dominate in representation. China added 261 universities to reach a total of 395, while India had 294 ranked universities, including 137 new entries. Despite this growth, 63% of Chinese and 73% of Indian universities dropped in rank compared to last year.
The trend was similar across 19 countries or territories, with Japan seeing 88% of its universities fall in rank — the same as Iran (-88%), followed by Pakistan (-80%), Bangladesh (-76%), and Indonesia (-71%).
Only five higher education systems in Asia saw overall improvement – meaning more of their previously ranked universities rose rather than fell – namely Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia, Macao SAR, Singapore, and Thailand.
India once again has seven universities in the top 100, the same as last year, though most have dropped in position.
Among Indian institutions, IIT Delhi leads at 59th place (down from 44th in 2025), followed by IISc Bangalore at 64th, IIT Madras at 70th, IIT Bombay at 71st, IIT Kanpur and IIT Kharagpur both at 77th, and the University of Delhi at 95th. Most saw declines from last year’s positions.
Similarly, Japan — which continues to lead Asia in faculty-student ratio, with three institutions ranking in the top 10 for this metric — has seen its overall performance decline, as all 11 of its universities in the top 100 dropped in rankings, including its top-ranked University of Tokyo, which fell from 21st last year to 26th in 2026 rankings.
While QS said the expanded rankings have added “volatility” to this year’s results, with new entrants reshaping the top tier and established systems facing new challenges, some experts found the high placement of certain debutant universities unexpected.
“For instance, Shinawatra University in Thailand debuted at #250, and Marwadi University in India at #353 – both within the top 500. More surprisingly, these institutions received very low scores in academic reputation and employer reputation, which together account for 50% of the overall ranking,” Rahul Choudaha, a global higher education analyst, told The PIE News.
“This shows that the ‘blackbox’ of ranking methodology may influence year-to-year outcomes without much logical explanations.”
But according to QS, the visibility of new entrants in the rankings reflects the growing depth of talent across Asia, especially in East and Southeast Asia, which saw five universities break into the top 50 for the first time.
While Malaysia’s Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) rose nine places to 44th, Beijing Institute of Technology and Beijing Normal University entered the top 50 at 45th and 48th, respectively, with National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) jumping 20 spots to 46th, and Harbin Institute of Technology moving up from 58th to 49th.
As research ecosystems mature and international partnerships scale, India is positioning itself not only as a study destination but as a global knowledge leader shaping innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth across Asia
Jessica Turner, QS
This year’s rankings particularly highlight India’s growth, with the number of its ranked universities rising from a mere 24 in 2016 to 294 in 2026 — a 1,125% increase in representation, compared to a 273% rise for China.
India has also shown significant growth in its research performance, according to QS, particularly in research output and the proportion of staff with research backgrounds.
Five Indian universities feature in Asia’s top 10 for research productivity, while 45 rank in the region’s top 100 for staff with PhDs.
Though 36 Indian institutions, many of them IITs, have improved their employer reputation scores, QS notes that internationalisation remains India’s biggest area for growth.
With scores of 18.9 in international faculty (vs the global average of ~31), 14.2 in international students, 8.4 in inbound exchange Students, and 9.9 in outbound exchange Students, India continues to lag behind its peers.
“Every year, a new group of prospective international students explores their study abroad options, and for many of them, the level of internationalisation matters more than something like citations per faculty,” stated Choudaha.
“They want to be on campuses where there’s already a strong community of international students so they can feel supported, adjust to a new culture, and find their path to success. For universities aiming to attract international students, this metric becomes especially important because it directly influences how appealing they are to future applicants.”
Despite clear areas for improvement, the available data is largely positive for Indian universities, according to Jessica Turner, CEO, QS.
“In just five years since the National Education Policy launched, India has built system-level capacity that is globally relevant and locally empowering. The entry of over 130 Indian universities into this year’s Asia Rankings is a strong signal of depth as well as breadth,” said Turner.
“As research ecosystems mature and international partnerships scale, India is positioning itself not only as a study destination but as a global knowledge leader shaping innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth across Asia.”
Apart from China (Mainland), which leads with 37 universities in the top 200, excelling in citations per paper (50.8) and international research network (50.9), Hong Kong SAR has emerged as the most improved system, with five universities in the top 10 and strong gains driven by academic reputation, international faculty, and student mobility.
With nine universities rising and only two declining, Hong Kong is now one of the region’s strongest performers, with City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) leading Asia in more individual indicators than any other institution.
Another East Asian counterpart, South Korea, has six universities in Asia’s top 20, with 12 of its 15 top-100 institutions improving this year, as the country, like others, increasingly uses global rankings as policy benchmarks influencing visa frameworks and national funding, according to Kyuseok Kim, centre director at IES Abroad Seoul.
“For example, when the government evaluated potential partners for the Incheon Global Campus, QS rankings were a key reference point.
“To stay competitive, Korean institutions should focus less on short-term ranking fluctuations and more on long-term, differentiated strengths such as research impact, graduate employability, and regional collaboration,” said Kim, who added that initiatives like the ‘10 SNU Project‘, which aim to build world-class research capacity, can help spread excellence more evenly across Korean universities.
Elsewhere, Malaysia has emerged as the region’s second most improved higher education system, with nearly half its universities rising in rank, driven by stronger academic reputation — where 73% improved — and cross-border research collaboration.
The Southeast Asian country has three universities now in Asia’s top 10 for international research network, a key strength as it seeks to attract more international students amid rising global demand.
Southeast Asia has seen remarkable growth overall, with half of Singapore’s universities in the top three tiers, Thailand recording a 24% improvement rate with 18 universities climbing in rank, and Vietnam continuing its rise with Van Lang University posting Asia’s largest single improvement, rising 159 places to 251st.
“As they (Asian universities) strengthen academic reputation, employer recognition, global networks, and overall learning experience, keeping education affordable will be key,” stated Choudaha.
“To do this, they’ll need to lean on technology and innovative models that avoid costs from rising too quickly. To become a hub of attracting global talent, Asian universities must learn from the best around the world but adapt to the local need of affordability.”
