Two Beijing universities took the top two places in Asia for the first time in the world university rankings 2020 released by Times Higher Education (THE) on September 11. The poll includes almost 1400 universities across 92 countries, and the table is based on 13 calibrated performance indicators to provide an overall comprehensive comparison of different institutions.

Tsinghua University is at 23^rd place in the world’s top 100 universities, a slight decline from its 22^nd position last year. Peking University made a considerable jump to 24^th from its previous ranking of 31^st. Five other universities from the Chinese mainland made the top 200, namely University of Science and Technology of China, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, Nanjing University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the same number as in 2019.

Meanwhile, on the poll, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology fell from 41^st to 47^th place, while Chinese University of Hong Kong fell to 57^th from 53^rd last year. The National Taiwan University was also ranked lower this year, in 120th place. Last year’s top Asian institution was the National University of Singapore, and it placed 25th this year compared to 23^rd in the previous poll.

Once again, the UK and US universities dominated all top ten places this year, while Canadian universities and some European universities have risen up.

The Paper notes that this year’s top universities in mainland China scored higher in citation power and research income, perhaps reflecting the Chinese government’s continued investment in higher education.

As we blogged before, China is gearing up towards expanding its pool of international students as well. In 2015, Vice Premier Liu Yandong stated that the government planned to increase the number of international students in China to 500,000 by the end of 2020. The country’s universities have continued to extend their influence and presence on the world stage.

Photos: pexels

Two Beijing universities are becoming more prestigious even as other Chinese institutions are losing esteem, according to a survey released by the Times Higher Education (THE) on March 11. The poll, dubbed the World Reputation Rankings (whose findings are based on nearly 10,000 responses from 142 countries), placed Tsinghua at 26th in the world’s top 100 universities, a considerable jump from its 36th position last year. Peking University, known colloquially as Beida, has ascended to 32nd from its previous ranking of 43rd.

Other Chinese institutions did not fare so well. China Daily reports that The University of Hong Kong fell from 43rd to the 51-60 slice, while the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology fell to the 71-80 slice. The National Taiwan University was also ranked lower this year, in the 61-70 slice. The poll’s top Asian institution was the University of Tokyo, which placed 12th (compared to 11th last year).

While Tsinghua and Beida may be celebrating improved rankings, overall the poll showed that China and its capital are still at a considerable distance from the upper tier.

US and UK universities dominated all top ten positions. The US also had the highest number of institutions on the list, at 43 while the UK trailed behind at a distant second with 12. Germany followed that with six.

The US also held the coveted number one spot in the rankings, with Harvard University being named "the world’s most prestigious university." The University of Oxford came in second.

However, Chinese news site China News quoted THE Rankings Editor Phil Baty as saying, “This is a strong performance by China. Its two leading institutions have made gains in the reputation rankings, reflecting the country’s commitment to developing world-class universities."

Photo: gigijin (flickr)