5th edition QS University Rankings: Asia 2013 Welcome to the 2013 University Rankings: Asia – Report he QS World University Rankings® ap- 3. POLITICAL POPULARITY Tpear to be more prophetic than other ex- However much we may hate to admit it, ercises of their type. Our rankings were the first politics plays a vital role in the development to question Harvard’s dominance at the top of and prioritisation of higher education. In the table, the first to telegraph the ascendancy the UK, higher education is stumbled into of MIT, the first to plot the rising influence of by many students, it is increasingly seen as a Singaporean and Korean institutions. The rising right rather than a privilege and the minority influence of Asian institutions can be seen in of students engaging in antisocial behaviour other studies, but nowhere more profoundly give students as a whole a bad name. Increas- than in our work. ing investment in universities would be deeply politically unpopular. By contrast, in There is a misconception that reputation Asia higher education is seen as a privilege; measures are an inherent cause of inertia in parents want nothing more than to see their rankings, that a long history is an insurmount- children attend the world’s most prestigious able advantage. It is our reputation emphasis universities and research and education are that reinforces the performance of more young amongst the most highly respected profes- institutions than any other, our reputation sions. Further investment in HE is robust measures that improve the standing of smaller policy both politically and economically. and more specialised institutions, our survey based indicators that are driving the buzz The results contained herein do not reveal around Asian universities. It is this dynamic radically different results to last year, although context that inspired the development of a there are stories in the detail, but the reason separate ranking for Asia and which keeps the why they are important is that institutions work relevant today. included here are increasing their global influ- ence, and they are doing it quickly. At the The current and future advantages of Asian current rate of development, Asian institutions universities can be summarised in three cat- may begin to dominate within two decades. egories: Ivy League beware! 1. ECONOMIC SYMBIOSIS Asian economies have been comparatively insulated from recent global financial dif- ficulties. Knowledge is seen as a key driver of economic growth and investment in educa- tion at all levels, and research, is seen as a fundamental pillar of economic development. 2. OPERATIONAL AGILITY Asian institutions, on the whole, are younger than western counterparts, in many cases their governance structures are somewhat more autocratic, leaving more flexibility in the hands of their strategic leadership. Compare an oil tanker to a speedboat, the first responds slowly to direction, the second Ben Sowter is responsive and adaptive. Ben Sowter is the Head of Division, QS Intelligence Unit www.qs.com QS University Rankings: Asia 2013 3 Asia universities show a five-year surge in performance New QS University Rankings: Asia shows five-year surge in performance of region’s universities, says Danny Byrne he fifth annual edition of QS University Both on a regional and global level, the 50 ranking, pointing to a uniquely rapid ascent TRankings: Asia point to a five-year shift in overriding message from five years’ worth to world-class status. the international balance of power, with several of rankings data is clear: money matters. The ambitious Asian institutions making strides changes in the relative fortunes of universities That HKUST has managed to achieve this towards becoming genuine global competitors. in the region correlate closely with the ability during a period of transition from a three-year of governments to keep pace with the un- to four-year degree model is testament to the This year’s edition of QS University Rank- precedented investments being made in higher funding levels that have helped it maintain its ings: Asia is topped by Hong Kong University education in the region. staffing levels, research productivity and perfor- of Science and Technology (HKUST), ahead of mance in the reputational indicators. National University of Singapore (NUS) and The booming economies of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University (HKU) who are tied Singapore and Korea have helped to establish University Grants Committee funding for for second. their universities as major forces, while the Hong Kong universities rose from 4.1% of inexorable rise of Mainland China is clearly in total government spending in 2008/9 to 4.5% Yet this year is only part of the story. Five evidence. In contrast, Japan is clearly struggling in 2011/12, in a period during which Hong years of accumulated data drawn from the to keep pace with the improvements made by Kong’s economy has maintained growth fol- regional rankings and the overall QS World its upwardly mobile regional peers. lowing a slump in 2009. This translates to over University Rankings paint a picture of upward 0.5% of total government expenditure on aver- mobility for Asian universities, as the region’s HKUST REIGNS SUPREME age for each of Hong Kong’s eight universities, economic boom contrasts with the gloomy a remarkable figure. outlook in the West. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) retains the top spot it HKUST has risen from fourth to first place Mirroring global economic trends, Asian gained in 2011, a remarkable achievement for since 2009 while Hong Kong University universities have made up significant ground an institution that is just 22 years old. HKUST ( HKU) rises one place to the second posi- on their Western peers in the period follow- also tops the second annual QS Top 50 Under tion, shared with National University of Singa- ing the financial crisis. There has been a 17% pore. HKU topped the table in both the 2009 increase in the number of Asian universities in and 2010 editions of the rankings. the global top 200 during the last five years. The number of Asian institutions in the elite However, despite this Hong Kong universi- global top 50 has grown from nine to 11. As Western ties are not immune to the increased com- petition on evidence throughout the region. The rapid speed of change in the region is governments Hong Kong’s other leading institution, Chinese on display in a complementary ranking, QS University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has been Top 50 Under 50, which ranks universities struggle to overtaken. established since 1963. Asia boasts five of the world’s top six young institutions, perhaps a maintain funding CUHK has slipped from fifth to seventh this forecast of a future realignment of the global year, a marked decline for an institution that balance of power from West to East. levels, Asian ranked second in the inaugural QS University Rankings: Asia in 2009. As Western governments struggle to main- institutions have tain funding levels, Asian institutions have rap- City University of Hong Kong maintains its idly increased their ability to attract the world’s rapidly increased 2012 position of 12th, six places higher than its best faculty and students. The rankings show a their ability position in the original rankings in 2009. five-year surge in international students study- ing at ranked institutions in Asia, from 175,286 to attract the SINGAPORE: THE NEW SILICON to 255,212, while total international faculty has VALLEY? grown from 21,223 to 35,677. world’s best On both a global and regional level, Singa- pore has seen a remarkable improvement in its 4 QS University Rankings: Asia 2013 www.qs.com Asia universities show a five-year surge in performance fortunes in ranks second in the QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking performance of Korea’s leading universities the past five for the second year in a row. in the last five years, on both a global and years, driven The upward trajectory of NUS and NTU regional scale. by substantial is partly due to a progressive approach to in- The leading seven Korean universi- investments, ternationalization that has pushed up standards ties all either maintain or improve their a pioneering across the board and established the two as position in this year’s QS Univer- approach to estab- meeting places for leading minds from East and sity Rankings: Asia. Seoul National lishing partnerships West. The two have also benefitted from a new University (SNU) maintains its with world-class Universities Trust that pledged a further $4bn fourth place, a notable improve- institutions in the to Singapore’s universities in 2010, facilitating ment compared to 2009, when West, and the aggres- their rapidly growing international profile. it ranked eight. In the same sive recruitment of lead- period SNU has improved ing international faculty NUS has launched research partnerships its global ranking from 47= and students. with prestigious international institutions to 37th, and makes the including Yale and Duke University, while global top 30 in the faculty NTU has followed suit by collaborating with rankings for both natural Imperial College London and Warwick Uni- sciences and social sciences versity. Several of these collaborative projects and management. Na- are housed in campuses near state-of-the-art tional science parks to facilitate the development of KAIST is consolidating Uni- spin-off companies. its reputation as a major versity of player in science and tech- Singapore The policy seems to be taking off, with a nology, and this year im- (NUS) wave of internet start-ups and multi-national proves its regional rank by maintains investors meaning the prosperous city-state has one place to rank sixth. its second already been dubbed Asia’s answer to Silicon KAIST also ranks 4th in position this Valley.