NUS Loses Top Asia University Spot, NTU Ranks 5th In 2023 Regional Rankings

NUS Falls To 2nd Place While NTU Drops To 5th In Regional University Rankings

For almost a decade, the National University of Singapore (NUS) was ranked the top university in Asia while the National Technological University (NTU) would be in the top three.

NUS NTU regional rankings

Source: Tutopiya

But competition in the region is stiff. This year, both schools found themselves slipping in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking of Asia’s top universities.

NUS lost its top spot and now ranks second. NTU, on the other hand, went from third to fifth place.

The rankings are based on a number of factors, including academic reputation, employer reputation, and research.

NUS and NTU rank 2nd and 5th respectively in regional rankings

In the QS Asia University Rankings 2023 released on Tuesday (8 Nov), NUS came in second while NTU came in fifth.

NUS previously occupied the number one spot while NTU tied with the University of Hong Kong in third place.

This year, China’s Peking University overtook the Singapore universities to claim the top spot.

The third and fourth spots are now occupied by Tsinghua University and The University of Hong Kong respectively.

China is the most represented location on list

This year’s QS Asia Rankings are the largest to date, featuring 760 universities. This is an increase from 687 in the 2022 rankings.

The top 10 positions this year are rounded out by a diverse selection of institutions across East and Southeast Asia. This includes Malaysia, China, and South Korea.

According to The Straits Times (ST), China is the most represented location among the rankings, with 128 institutions making the list.

India and Japan follow closely behind, with 118 and 106 institutions on the list respectively.

The rankings were determined using the following indicators:

  • Academic reputation
  • Employer reputation
  • Faculty-to-student ratio
  • International research network
  • Citations per paper and papers per faculty
  • Staff with a PhD
  • Proportion of international faculty and students
  • Proportion of inbound and outbound exchange students

Singaporean higher education has much to be proud of

With the release of this year’s rankings, QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said Singaporean higher education has much to be proud of.

For almost a decade, NUS and NTU had dominated and taken the top three spots.

NUS NTU regional rankings

Source: APRU

While they have slipped in the rankings this year, they remain within Asia’s top five. Both universities are also premier research institutions in Asia.

“[Singapore’s] contribution to the body of work enhancing global understanding in science and technology, among other fields, cannot be understated,” said Mr Sowter.

Besides the main rankings, NUS is Asia’s second most well-regarded university among international academics.

Both institutions are also in the top five in scholarly impact based on citations per paper and international collaboration.

An NUS spokesperson said that as one of Asia’s top universities, they will continue to build on their strong track record in education, research, innovation, and enterprise.

The school added that being recognised as a leading university in the region is an affirmation of the work their community has put in.

A spokesperson from NTU said, “Fluctuations in rankings from year to year are to be expected, especially in the upper echelons of top global indices where competition remains intense.”

The university takes a broad view of its performance over multiple years across various established rankings.

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Featured image adapted from Tutopiya and NTU Graduate College on Facebook.

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