Best young universities in the world 2024

By seeta.bhardwa@…, 14 May, 2024

Top 10 best young universities 2024

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

Young University Rank 2024Young University Rank 2023UniversityCountry/region
11Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
23Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
32The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
46City University of Hong KongHong Kong
512Université Paris-SaclayFrance
68Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
74Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
815Sorbonne UniversityFrance
914Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
1013Maastricht UniversityNetherlands

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 University Rankings 2024. Names such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Princeton spring to mind. 

But many more institutions also deserve your attention. THE’s 2024 Young University 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 University 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 University Rankings 2024

1. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is one of the highest-ranked Asian institutions in the THE World University 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 University.

2. Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University 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 It was originally made up of five institutions but has since grown to incorporate 25 self-governing academic and research institutions.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 University 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. 


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4. City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

City University 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 University Rankings 2024 results

Young University Rank 2024Young University Rank 2023UniversityCountry/region
11Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
23Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
32The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
46City University of Hong KongHong Kong
512Université Paris-SaclayFrance
68Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
74Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
815Sorbonne UniversityFrance
914Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
1013Maastricht UniversityNetherlands
119University of Technology SydneyAustralia
127University of AntwerpBelgium
1319Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – PisaItaly
14=26University of MacauMacao
1510Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)South Korea
1630University of WollongongAustralia
=17=26Queensland University of TechnologyAustralia
=17=22University of PotsdamGermany
1911Université Paris CitéFrance
2025University of LuxembourgLuxembourg
2140Aalto UniversityFinland
=22=35Aalborg UniversityDenmark
=22=22Medical University of ViennaAustria
=2417Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)China
=24=43Swinburne University of TechnologyAustralia
2616Medical University of GrazAustria
27=49Khalifa UniversityUnited Arab Emirates
=2818Pompeu Fabra UniversitySpain
=2853RMIT UniversityAustralia
3021Medical University of InnsbruckAustria
3139Linköping UniversitySweden
32=79Universiti Teknologi PetronasMalaysia
=3337Curtin UniversityAustralia
=33NRDaegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST)South Korea
=3546Griffith UniversityAustralia
=3529Humanitas UniversityItaly
3742Deakin UniversityAustralia
=38=26Macau University of Science and TechnologyMacao
=3859University of BayreuthGermany
=40=85Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)South Korea
=4020Vita-Salute San Raffaele UniversityItaly
42=60University of Rome II – Tor VergataItaly
4352University of South AustraliaAustralia
4432Università della Svizzera italianaSwitzerland
4554Tampere UniversityFinland
46101–150Hong Kong Baptist UniversityHong Kong
4738United Arab Emirates UniversityUnited Arab Emirates
4833Western Sydney UniversityAustralia
=4997National Yang Ming Chiao Tung UniversityTaiwan
=4971Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSweden
51=55Montpellier UniversityFrance
=52=55Koç UniversityTurkey
=52151–200National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech)Taiwan
54=89Sabancı UniversityTurkey
55101–150Université Grenoble AlpesFrance
56=81Institut AgroFrance
57101–150Constructor UniversityGermany
58=55University of Southern QueenslandAustralia
59=89Dublin City UniversityIreland
=6058Abu Dhabi UniversityUnited Arab Emirates
=60=60IMT AtlantiqueFrance
=60151–200University of JohannesburgSouth Africa
63101–150Centrale NantesFrance
6483Edith Cowan UniversityAustralia
6534University of CanberraAustralia
66=60University of PassauGermany
67=87Shenzhen UniversityChina
68=92Free University of Bozen-BolzanoItaly
69=43University of SharjahUnited Arab Emirates
70101–150Victoria UniversityAustralia
71=95Universiti Utara MalaysiaMalaysia
72151–200University of LimerickIreland
=73=77Aix-Marseille UniversityFrance
=7372University of VaasaFinland
=7369Verona UniversityItaly
=76=60Charles Darwin UniversityAustralia
=76=65University of Milan-BicoccaItaly
7875University of BordeauxFrance
79NRCampus Bio-Medico University of RomeItaly
80151–200Concordia UniversityCanada
81=77Mahatma Gandhi UniversityIndia
8247Australian Catholic UniversityAustralia
83=65Asia University, TaiwanTaiwan
84=81University of KwaZulu-NatalSouth Africa
85101–150Shiraz University of TechnologyIran
86=85Maynooth UniversityIreland
88151–200University of HuddersfieldUnited Kingdom
=8968Universiti Brunei DarussalamBrunei Darussalam
=89101–150University of CyprusCyprus
91101–150University of MonsBelgium
92101–150University of PlymouthUnited Kingdom
93=60University of California, MercedUnited States
94201–250Yangzhou UniversityChina
9541Bournemouth UniversityUnited Kingdom
=96201–250Anna UniversityIndia
=96101–150Northumbria UniversityUnited Kingdom
=98=49Auckland University of TechnologyNew Zealand
=98151–200Zayed UniversityUnited Arab Emirates
100151–200Southern Cross UniversityAustralia

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

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