Best universities in Asia 2023

By Anonymous (not verified), 22 June, 2023

The best universities in Asia 2023: the top 10

Asia Rank 2023	Asia Rank 2022	University	Country/region	World University Rank 2023
1	1	Tsinghua University	China	16
2	2	Peking University	China	17
3	3	National University of Singapore	Singapore	19
4	4	University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	31
5	5	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	Singapore	36
6	7	Chinese University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	45
7	9	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	Hong Kong	58
8	6	The University of Tokyo	Japan	39
=9	10	Fudan University	China	51
=9	13	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	52

The 2023 Asia University Rankings reveal the best colleges and universities in Asia, featuring institutions from 31 territories.

Japan leads the way with 117 universities in the ranking, while China comes second with 95 ranked institutions. India is the third most represented country, with 75 universities.

China is the most represented region in the top 10, with four universities present.

The Asia University Rankings are based on the same 13 performance indicators as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings , but these have been recalibrated to reflect the attributes of Asia’s universities. Here’s the methodology in full.

Top five universities in Asia

Scroll down for the top 100

1. Tsinghua University, China

Tsinghua University has been committed to a multidisciplinary system for more than 30 years, having undergone many changes since its establishment in 1911.

It is known as one of the most elite universities in China, admitting only those students who score extremely highly in the national exams.

The university offers 51 undergraduate programmes and more than 200 postgraduate degrees.

Tsinghua, which features in the top 20 in the overall THE World University Rankings, also achieves a top 40 position in all 11 of Times Higher Education’s subject rankings.

The campus is in northwest Beijing in a district specifically designated as a university hub. Its buildings feature examples of both traditional Chinese architecture and Western styles. Built on the former site of the Qing dynasty royal gardens, the campus has been named one of the most beautiful in the world.

Many graduates become influential at home and abroad, most notably in Chinese politics. Particle physicist Chen-Ning Yang is a Nobel prizewinner associated with the university.

2. Peking University, China

Peking University was the first modern national university in China, founded at the end of the 19th century.

Now it is known as a centre for progressive thought and research excellence. It has 216 research centres, two of which are national engineering institutions.

Although the university teaches and researches across science, the social sciences and humanities, it particularly stands out internationally for physical sciences and engineering.

The university library is the largest of its kind in Asia, holding 11 million books and other resources.

After relocating in 1952, the main campus is now on the former site of the Qing dynasty imperial gardens and still has some of the original features and landscaping, including gardens, pagodas and historic buildings.

The entrance gates to the campus have murals on the ceiling that are attractions in their own right.

On campus, there are specific dormitories for the 2,000 international students.

Many prominent thinkers in China are alumni of Peking University. Three Nobel prizewinners are also associated with the institution.

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3. National University of Singapore, Singapore

The oldest institution in Singapore and the largest by student numbers, the National University of Singapore combines research excellence and innovation.

It ranks in the top 20 in the world overall, with particularly high scores for research and international outlook, and a standout performance in engineering and technology, law and computer science.

The entrepreneurial focus at the university dates back three decades to the formation of a dedicated centre for innovation and technopreneurship.

NUS uses Oxbridge-style teaching through small-group tutorials, and US-style course credits to make up the degree requirements. Degree programmes are more flexible than those in the UK; as in the US system, students may transfer between courses early in their degree and take modules across different faculties, and are required to have a broad, cross-disciplinary selection of courses.

Many students live on campus in one of the 6,000 residential places across various halls, all served by an internal shuttle bus to take them around campus.

Notable alumni include four Singaporean prime ministers and presidents, two Malaysian prime ministers and many other politicians, businesspeople and local luminaries.

4. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

English is the main language of instruction at the University of Hong Kong, located in Pokfulam.

It was founded by the British governor in 1911 but began to integrate Chinese culture and education into its courses by 1927, when the first degree in Chinese was offered.

The buildings on the main campus in the Mid-Levels neighbourhood of Hong Kong Island are some of the only remaining examples of British colonial architecture. The Main Building, completed in 1912, is the oldest structure and has been declared a national monument.

Admissions are extremely selective: there are about 12 applications for every place for an international undergraduate. For students from mainland China, only one student gets a place for every 31 applications.

Undergraduate courses take four years to complete, with a further year or two for medical programmes. All local students are now required to take English- and Chinese-language courses.

HKU graduates have been fundamentally involved in building modern China’s political, economic and cultural landscape. Many are also in senior positions in the private sector.

5. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is a research-intensive university with three campuses in Singapore.

As well as featuring in the top five in the 2023 Asia University Rankings, the institution also ranks highly for engineering and technology, and computer science courses.

It consists of six colleges and schools as well as several research institutes, including Singapore’s National Institute of Education and the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

Spread over 200 acres, the Yunnan Garden Campus is the largest university campus in Singapore and is often considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the world.

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The best universities in Asia 2023: the top 100

Asia Rank 2023	Asia Rank 2022	University	Country/region	World University Rank 2023
1	1	Tsinghua University	China	16
2	2	Peking University	China	17
3	3	National University of Singapore	Singapore	19
4	4	University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	31
5	5	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	Singapore	36
6	7	Chinese University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	45
7	9	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	Hong Kong	58
8	6	The University of Tokyo	Japan	39
=9	10	Fudan University	China	51
=9	13	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China	52
11	8	Seoul National University	South Korea	56
12	11	Zhejiang University	China	67
13	=21	Yonsei University (Seoul campus)	South Korea	78
14	15	Hong Kong Polytechnic University	Hong Kong	79
15	16	University of Science and Technology of China	China	74
16	24	City University of Hong Kong	Hong Kong	=99
17	14	Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)	South Korea	=91
18	12	Kyoto University	Japan	68
19	17	Nanjing University	China	=95
20	28	King Abdulaziz University	Saudi Arabia	=101
21	20	Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)	South Korea	174
22	23	Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)	South Korea	=163
23	19	Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)	China	=166
24	18	Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)	South Korea	=170
25	26	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	China	=176
26	25	Wuhan University	China	173
27	27	Korea University	South Korea	201–250
28	46	Qatar University	Qatar	201–250
=29	48	King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals	Saudi Arabia	201–250
=29	=21	National Taiwan University (NTU)	Taiwan	=187
=29	66	Sichuan University	China	=196
32	30	Tel Aviv University	Israel	201–250
33	35	China Medical University, Taiwan	Taiwan	251–300
34	=31	Tohoku University	Japan	201–250
=35	=31	Kyung Hee University	South Korea	251–300
=35	36	Macau University of Science and Technology	Macao	201–250
37	33	University of Macau	Macao	201–250
38	=44	King Saud University	Saudi Arabia	251–300
39	41	Sejong University	South Korea	251–300
40	60	United Arab Emirates University	United Arab Emirates	251–300
41	43	Tongji University	China	251–300
42	40	Beijing Normal University	China	251–300
43	29	Taipei Medical University	Taiwan	301–350
44	38	Sun Yat-sen University	China	251–300
=45	37	Khalifa University	United Arab Emirates	351–400
=45	72	University of Sharjah	United Arab Emirates	251–300
47	53	Osaka University	Japan	251–300
48	42	Indian Institute of Science	India	251–300
=49	=78	Asia University, Taiwan	Taiwan	351–400
=49	=57	Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Israel	251–300
=49	50	Nagoya University	Japan	301–350
52	=76	Koç University	Turkey	401–500
53	34	Alfaisal University	Saudi Arabia	301–350
54	39	Central South University	China	351–400
55	107	Harbin Institute of Technology	China	351–400
56	49	Tokyo Institute of Technology	Japan	301–350
=57	47	Hanyang University	South Korea	401–500
=57	61	South China University of Technology	China	401–500
59	NR	Abu Dhabi University	United Arab Emirates	301–350
60	=62	Universiti Brunei Darussalam	Brunei Darussalam	301–350
=61	=55	Nankai University	China	301–350
=61	=62	Tianjin University	China	401–500
63	95	Universiti Teknologi Petronas	Malaysia	401–500
64	70	Sharif University of Technology	Iran	401–500
65	=68	Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences	Iran	351–400
66	=55	University of Malaya	Malaysia	351–400
67	74	Hunan University	China	401–500
68	65	JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research	India	351–400
=69	=51	East China Normal University	China	351–400
=69	NR	Golestan University of Medical Sciences	Iran	351–400
=71	=51	American University of Beirut	Lebanon	351–400
=71	64	Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences	Iran	351–400
=71	54	Shenzhen University	China	401–500
74	=96	Iran University of Science and Technology	Iran	501–600
75	NR	Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University	Saudi Arabia	351–400
76	=78	Sabancı University	Turkey	401–500
77	NR	Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences	India	351–400
=78	=57	Babol Noshirvani University of Technology	Iran	401–500
=78	86	Southeast University	China	401–500
=78	71	Southern Medical University	China	401–500
81	=84	Xiamen University	China	401–500
82	67	University of Hail	Saudi Arabia	351–400
83	NR	Qazvin University of Medical Sciences	Iran	401–500
84	NR	Ateneo de Manila University	Philippines	351–400
85	=44	National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University	Taiwan	501–600
=86	NR	Babol University of Medical Sciences	Iran	401–500
=86	=84	University of Electronic Science and Technology of China	China	401–500
=86	73	Ton Duc Thang University	Vietnam	401–500
89	123	Middle East Technical University	Turkey	501–600
90	=87	Northwestern Polytechnical University	China	501–600
91	82	Beihang University	China	501–600
=92	=105	Beijing Institute of Technology	China	501–600
=92	NR	Qom University of Medical Sciences	Iran	401–500
94	81	Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology	South Korea	501–600
=95	=139	Mahatma Gandhi University	India	401–500
=95	59	National Tsing Hua University	Taiwan	501–600
=95	=76	Xi’an Jiaotong University	China	501–600
98	116	Quaid-i-Azam University	Pakistan	401–500
=99	75	Cankaya University	Turkey	401–500
=99	117	University of International Business and Economics	China	401–500
=99	NR	Jazan University	Saudi Arabia	401–500
=99	148	Universiti Utara Malaysia	Malaysia	401–500