China (Mainland) claims QS Asia University Rankings top spot for the first time

LONDON, Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quacquarelli Symonds, higher education experts, released the 15^th annual QS World University Rankings: Asia—the largest-ever—featuring 760 universities: 61% declining, 14% improving, 15% unchanged and 10% brand-new.

Peking University claims Asia's top spot, breaking the National University of Singapore's four-year run in first. NUS falls to second while Tsinghua University comes third. China-Mainland has the most universities ranked, (128), followed by India (118) and Japan (106).  

• Japan and China boast two universities each in the top-5 for Academic and Employer Reputation. The University of Tokyo tops both these metrics.
• India excels in research production, with three universities among the top-5 for Papers/Faculty.
• Considering only locations with 10+ ranked institutions, South Korea enjoys the highest concentration of top-20 universities while Malaysia has the highest concentration of top-50 (17%) and top-100 institutions (22%).
• Singapore and Hong Kong-SAR produce high-impact research, with two institutions each among the top-5 for Citations/Paper.
• Pakistan's Aga Khan University enjoys Asia's highest teaching capacity according to Faculty/Student Ratio.
• Five new entrants rank among top-100. Kazakhstan's Al-Farabi Kazakh National University is the highest (44^th).
• Iran boasts some of Asia's most highly trained faculty, according to QS' Staff with PhD indicator.
• Thailand achieves its best results for Academic Reputation, with five universities among top-100, while The Philippines for Employer Reputation, with four Filipino universities among top-100.
• Vietnam sees most improvement – 55% of its institutions rise.

Ben Sowter QS Senior Vice-President said: "China's sustained and substantial investment in higher education underpins today's success, with Peking University named Asia's best and Tsinghua University third-best. Singapore continues to punch above its weigh, with two top-5 universities. Some Asian higher education systems face challenges due to declining population."