Best universities in Asia 2026
Explore the top universities in Asia based on data collected for the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings. The rankings are put together using a robust methdology which includes student engagement, academic reputation and international exchange opportunities.
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Top 100 universities in Asia 2026
| Asia Rank 2026 | University | Country/territory | Overall Score | Teaching Score | Research Environment Score | Research Quality Score | Industry Score | International Score |
| 1 | Tsinghua University | China | 93.6 | 95.4 | 98.6 | 95.4 | 100 | 53.4 |
| 2 | Peking University | China | 93.1 | 94.8 | 98.1 | 91.2 | 100 | 67.3 |
| 3 | National University of Singapore | Singapore | 91.1 | 76.5 | 93.9 | 97.1 | 99.9 | 92.8 |
| =4 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore | 85.1 | 66.2 | 81.1 | 97.3 | 100 | 93.6 |
| =4 | The University of Tokyo | Japan | 85.1 | 94.3 | 93.5 | 73.3 | 100 | 50.8 |
| 6 | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 84.3 | 70.5 | 74.8 | 97.3 | 96.5 | 96.6 |
| 7 | Fudan University | China | 82.9 | 81.5 | 80.2 | 88.3 | 99.8 | 53.8 |
| 8 | Zhejiang University | China | 82.6 | 77.6 | 81.3 | 88.9 | 100 | 55.5 |
| 9 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China | 82.1 | 78.2 | 82 | 85.7 | 100 | 57.7 |
| 10 | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 81.1 | 66.3 | 68.8 | 98.7 | 90.9 | 92.1 |
| 11 | University of Science and Technology of China | China | 80.3 | 77.1 | 73.9 | 92 | 98.9 | 43.2 |
| 12 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong | 80.1 | 61.6 | 66 | 97.4 | 100 | 97.2 |
| 13 | Nanjing University | China | 78.7 | 72.9 | 70.3 | 88.9 | 99.6 | 59.6 |
| 14 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 78.2 | 62.8 | 59.2 | 96.2 | 100 | 98.4 |
| 15 | Seoul National University | South Korea | 78.1 | 76.1 | 78 | 81 | 100 | 43.5 |
| 16 | Kyoto University | Japan | 77.2 | 87.2 | 82.8 | 64.2 | 100 | 45.6 |
| 17 | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | South Korea | 76.8 | 71.5 | 71.5 | 86.6 | 100 | 44.2 |
| 18 | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong | 75.8 | 57 | 61.5 | 95.6 | 86.5 | 97.3 |
| 19 | Yonsei University (Seoul campus) | South Korea | 74.1 | 63.4 | 63.2 | 89.2 | 100 | 55.7 |
| 20 | Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) | South Korea | 73.9 | 64.6 | 63.2 | 85.3 | 99.7 | 64.3 |
| 21 | Tohoku University | Japan | 72.2 | 74.1 | 74.4 | 62.4 | 100 | 59.2 |
| 22 | Harbin Institute of Technology | China | 71.0 | 63.4 | 63.4 | 84.4 | 100 | 32.5 |
| 23 | Tongji University | China | 70.8 | 59.1 | 59.9 | 82.6 | 99.9 | 63.5 |
| 24 | Wuhan University | China | 70.4 | 59.4 | 54 | 92.2 | 99.7 | 41.6 |
| 25 | Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) | South Korea | 69.9 | 65.9 | 56 | 83.5 | 100 | 39.9 |
| =26 | Korea University | South Korea | 69.6 | 58.1 | 58 | 80.4 | 99.9 | 67.8 |
| =26 | National Taiwan University (NTU) | Taiwan | 69.6 | 64.9 | 60.5 | 74.3 | 100 | 59.2 |
| 28 | University of Macau | Macao | 69.4 | 47.2 | 48.9 | 95.2 | 87 | 92.5 |
| 29 | Beijing Normal University | China | 69.3 | 63.9 | 55.8 | 86.5 | 89.1 | 42.4 |
| 30 | The University of Osaka | Japan | 68.3 | 69.9 | 68.6 | 61.1 | 100 | 47.9 |
| 31 | Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) | China | 68.0 | 46.1 | 51.7 | 95.3 | 88.5 | 63.3 |
| 32 | King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | Saudi Arabia | 67.9 | 41.5 | 50.6 | 90.5 | 94.4 | 92.9 |
| 33 | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | China | 67.5 | 52.3 | 54.8 | 90.1 | 99.9 | 30.9 |
| 34 | Institute of Science Tokyo | Japan | 67.3 | 71.7 | 64 | 62.3 | 92.1 | 52.2 |
| =35 | Tianjin University | China | 67.2 | 56 | 54.1 | 81.4 | 99.8 | 52.8 |
| =35 | Universiti Teknologi Petronas | Malaysia | 67.2 | 49 | 48.4 | 87.5 | 94.5 | 78.9 |
| 37 | The Education University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 66.3 | 42.5 | 47.3 | 94.9 | 74.4 | 89.5 |
| =38 | Beijing Institute of Technology | China | 66.0 | 54.2 | 51.7 | 83.1 | 99.6 | 45.2 |
| =38 | Sichuan University | China | 66.0 | 52.4 | 55 | 81.9 | 99.6 | 42.5 |
| 40 | Hong Kong Baptist University | Hong Kong | 65.5 | 40.4 | 48.8 | 89 | 79.5 | 97.4 |
| 41 | Xi’an Jiaotong University | China | 65.3 | 50.2 | 55.5 | 82.1 | 100 | 38.2 |
| 42 | Kyung Hee University | South Korea | 65.2 | 48.2 | 48.4 | 81.4 | 99.9 | 72.5 |
| =43 | Beihang University | China | 65.1 | 54.7 | 53 | 81 | 100 | 34.7 |
| =43 | Indian Institute of Science | India | 65.1 | 68.2 | 62.3 | 62.6 | 98 | 31.4 |
| 45 | Shandong University | China | 65.0 | 53.6 | 51.5 | 80.8 | 99.3 | 43.5 |
| 46 | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) | South Korea | 64.9 | 55.9 | 47.1 | 84.1 | 98.1 | 39.5 |
| =47 | Qatar University | Qatar | 64.7 | 38.2 | 45.9 | 91.6 | 79.1 | 94.5 |
| =47 | Sun Yat-sen University | China | 64.7 | 53.8 | 45.5 | 88.2 | 97.6 | 34.1 |
| 49 | Nagoya University | Japan | 64.6 | 63.2 | 60.9 | 62.6 | 99.8 | 43.8 |
| 50 | Hanyang University | South Korea | 64.5 | 53.6 | 49.2 | 74.7 | 99.6 | 69.2 |
| 51 | Northwestern Polytechnical University | China | 64.4 | 47.3 | 49.4 | 84.7 | 99.7 | 47.6 |
| =52 | Macau University of Science and Technology | Macao | 64.2 | 40.9 | 47 | 85.1 | 84.6 | 93.2 |
| =52 | South China University of Technology | China | 64.2 | 45.7 | 46.2 | 89.4 | 99.7 | 43 |
| =52 | Tel Aviv University | Israel | 64.2 | 47.3 | 56.9 | 84.1 | 75 | 53.4 |
| =55 | Southeast University | China | 64.1 | 45.1 | 53.3 | 81.9 | 99.8 | 47.6 |
| =55 | United Arab Emirates University | United Arab Emirates | 64.1 | 34 | 46.2 | 92.1 | 86.5 | 87.3 |
| =57 | Khalifa University | United Arab Emirates | 63.5 | 44.3 | 33.3 | 90.2 | 92.3 | 94.8 |
| =57 | King Saud University | Saudi Arabia | 63.5 | 44.1 | 39.4 | 88.2 | 89.1 | 84 |
| 59 | Central South University | China | 63.4 | 45.3 | 50.3 | 86.4 | 99.7 | 31.4 |
| 60 | Southern Medical University | China | 63.0 | 54.9 | 47.2 | 87.8 | 76.4 | 31.3 |
| 61 | East China Normal University | China | 62.7 | 49.5 | 43.1 | 84.3 | 90.6 | 55.3 |
| =62 | Hebrew University of Jerusalem | Israel | 62.5 | 53.9 | 52.5 | 78.8 | 77.3 | 43.1 |
| =62 | Xiamen University | China | 62.5 | 49.5 | 42.9 | 86.9 | 95.1 | 36.6 |
| 64 | Sejong University | South Korea | 62.4 | 40 | 40.7 | 93 | 83.7 | 65.8 |
| 65 | University of Malaya | Malaysia | 62.2 | 53.7 | 43.5 | 78.2 | 65.2 | 91.4 |
| 66 | Hunan University | China | 62.0 | 42.6 | 41 | 93.5 | 96.5 | 31.7 |
| 67 | Nankai University | China | 61.7 | 50.9 | 38.2 | 89.7 | 80.6 | 47.9 |
| 68 | University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | China | 60.9 | 43.4 | 43.8 | 85.3 | 99.1 | 33.6 |
| 69 | Kyushu University | Japan | 60.5 | 59 | 50.5 | 61 | 98.8 | 49.5 |
| 70 | China Medical University, Taiwan | Taiwan | 60.0 | 33.6 | 39.5 | 91.2 | 95.4 | 51.3 |
| 71 | Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) | South Korea | 59.8 | 59.1 | 47 | 69 | 89.6 | 32.4 |
| 72 | Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) | South Korea | 59.6 | 58.7 | 47.9 | 61.4 | 94 | 52.3 |
| =73 | Chongqing University | China | 59.3 | 35 | 42.6 | 84.8 | 98.1 | 46.6 |
| =73 | Dalian University of Technology | China | 59.3 | 40.5 | 46.4 | 79.4 | 99 | 35.6 |
| =73 | Koç University | Turkey | 59.3 | 40.1 | 49.7 | 73.2 | 91.2 | 59.2 |
| =76 | Sharif University of Technology | Iran | 59.2 | 38.9 | 44.4 | 83.5 | 96.7 | 33.2 |
| =76 | Technion Israel Institute of Technology | Israel | 59.2 | 49.9 | 46.5 | 71.3 | 73.1 | 69.6 |
| 78 | Middle East Technical University | Turkey | 59.0 | 51.9 | 51.6 | 61.6 | 90.2 | 57.7 |
| 79 | Amirkabir University of Technology | Iran | 58.9 | 43.6 | 39.5 | 81.7 | 91.9 | 46.6 |
| 80 | National Tsing Hua University | Taiwan | 58.6 | 43 | 50.9 | 67.7 | 99.8 | 46.3 |
| 81 | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU Taiwan) | Taiwan | 58.4 | 48.8 | 50.2 | 64.5 | 100 | 39.9 |
| =82 | Chung-Ang University | South Korea | 58.3 | 45.8 | 47 | 66 | 93.3 | 63.4 |
| =82 | Sabancı University | Turkey | 58.3 | 38.6 | 46.6 | 69.8 | 99 | 65.6 |
| =84 | Lingnan University Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 58.1 | 35.1 | 46.8 | 84 | 40.7 | 94.5 |
| =84 | Sunway University | Malaysia | 58.1 | 32.1 | 41.3 | 87.3 | 58.4 | 89.3 |
| 86 | National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech) | Taiwan | 58.0 | 39.2 | 46.1 | 73.1 | 97.8 | 50 |
| =87 | Iran University of Science and Technology | Iran | 57.9 | 38.3 | 41.2 | 85.3 | 88.6 | 34 |
| =87 | Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia | Malaysia | 57.9 | 55.4 | 37.6 | 71.6 | 61.8 | 82.6 |
| =87 | University of Tsukuba | Japan | 57.9 | 58.3 | 53.2 | 57.5 | 77.1 | 49.8 |
| 90 | Shenzhen University | China | 57.7 | 31 | 42.9 | 89.9 | 82.8 | 38.2 |
| =91 | Abu Dhabi University | United Arab Emirates | 57.6 | 41.9 | 37.9 | 88 | 29.5 | 98 |
| =91 | Hokkaido University | Japan | 57.6 | 58.3 | 49.1 | 54.6 | 96.8 | 47 |
| 93 | King Khalid University | Saudi Arabia | 57.3 | 46 | 35 | 79.3 | 58.4 | 88.2 |
| 94 | Lebanese American University | Lebanon | 56.6 | 40.4 | 36.7 | 90.6 | 32 | 80.8 |
| 95 | Universiti Teknologi Malaysia | Malaysia | 56.5 | 52 | 34.4 | 72.2 | 71.1 | 70.7 |
| 96 | Pusan National University | South Korea | 56.4 | 49.1 | 47.6 | 60.4 | 95.3 | 45.1 |
| =97 | Istanbul Technical University | Turkey | 56.2 | 45.7 | 49.1 | 62.3 | 93 | 44.1 |
| =97 | Taipei Medical University | Taiwan | 56.2 | 55.2 | 39 | 64.6 | 86.6 | 48.6 |
| =97 | University of Sharjah | United Arab Emirates | 56.2 | 27.9 | 32.6 | 94.5 | 44.7 | 98.7 |
| =100 | Beijing University of Chemical Technology | China | 56.0 | 31 | 37.9 | 87.4 | 96.6 | 25 |
| =100 | Universiti Sains Malaysia | Malaysia | 56.0 | 49.8 | 35 | 72.8 | 64.5 | 76.5 |
Key insights from the Asia University Rankings 2026
- The 2026 Asia University Rankings reveal the best colleges and universities in Asia, featuring institutions from 36 territories and countries
- India is the most-represented country, with 128 universities in the ranking, while Japan comes second, with 115 ranked institutions. Turkey is the third most-represented country, with 109 universities.
- China leads the way, with two Chinese universities taking the top two positions. China is the best-represented country/territory in the top 10, with five universities present.
- The Asia University Rankings are based on the same 18 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
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 selective universities in China, admitting only those students who score very 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 30 position in all 11 of Times Higher Education’s rankings by subject.
The campus is in northwest Beijing in a district 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 Tsinghua.
2. Peking University, China
Peking University was the first modern national university in China, founded at the end of the 19th century.
Now 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 the sciences, social sciences and humanities, it 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 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 feature murals 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.
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 has 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 programme 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. 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 2026 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 80 hectares, the Yunnan Garden Campus is the largest university campus in Singapore and is often considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
=4. The University of Tokyo, Japan
The University of Tokyo is the highest-ranking Japanese university in the Asia Rankings and the World University Rankings.
It was Japan’s first national university when it was established in 1877.
It provides courses across the academic spectrum and has 10 faculties, 15 graduate schools, 11 affiliated research institutes (including the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology), three main libraries and three institutes for advanced study.
The university has a slightly unusual course structure in that students follow a liberal arts programme at one campus during their first two years before transferring to another campus to study their chosen major.
The University of Tokyo is the alma mater of eight Nobel prizewinners, 15 Japanese prime ministers and five astronauts.
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