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Best young universities in the world 2022

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

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February 15 2022
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Top 10 best young universities 2022

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

Young University Rank 2022 Young University Rank 2021 University Country/region
1 2 Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris France
2 1 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Singapore
3 3 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong
4 NR Erasmus University Rotterdam Netherlands
5 12 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong
6 NR Institut Polytechnique de Paris France
7 11 University of Antwerp Belgium
8 9 University of Technology Sydney Australia
9 6 Maastricht University Netherlands
10 5 City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong

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 that dominate the upper echelons of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Names such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Princeton spring to mind. 

But many more institutions also deserve your attention. THE’s 2022 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 ranking was created using the same methodology as 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 2022

5. Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Polytechnic University was established in 1937, and was granted official university status in 1994. 

The university is made up of eight faculties and schools: applied sciences and textiles; business; construction and environment; design; engineering; health and social sciences; hotel and tourism management; and humanities. 

The university partners with more than 240 institutions around the world to facilitate student exchanges. 

4. Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands

The Erasmus University of Rotterdam is a public research university in the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. 

The university is organised into two institutes, a university college and seven schools: economics; law; social and behavioural sciences; history, culture and communication, health policy and management; philosophy; and management. 

The university is split across five different sites, including Campus Woudestein, Erasmus MC, Erasmus University College, the Erasmus Centre for  Entrepreneurship and the International Institute of Social Studies. 


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3. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology consistently ranks as one of the best universities in Hong Kong.

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. In 2011, it received five State Science and Technology Awards – prestigious prizes conferred by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. 

2. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 

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

The university was established in 1991 and celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. 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 Imperial College London, Stanford University and Peking University.

1. Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, France

Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris takes first place in the Young University Rankings for the first time this year.

It 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 New York University, the University of Cambridge, Tsinghua University, and the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, among others.


The 100 best young universities 2022

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2022 results

Young University Rank 2022 Young University Rank 2021 University Country/region
1 2 Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris France
2 1 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Singapore
3 3 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong
4 NR Erasmus University Rotterdam Netherlands
5 12 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong
6 NR Institut Polytechnique de Paris France
7 11 University of Antwerp Belgium
8 9 University of Technology Sydney Australia
9 6 Maastricht University Netherlands
10 5 City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong
11 10 Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) South Korea
12 13 Sorbonne University France
13 26 Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) China
14 7 Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa Italy
15 8 Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) South Korea
16 15 Pompeu Fabra University Spain
17 16 University of Canberra Australia
=18 14 Université de Paris France
=18 NR Université Paris-Saclay France
20 21 Medical University of Graz Austria
21 17 Queensland University of Technology Australia
22 19 Medical University of Innsbruck Austria
23 24 Medical University of Vienna Austria
24 23 University of Wollongong Australia
25 20 University of Luxembourg Luxembourg
=26 39 University of Macau Macao
=26 =30 Vita-Salute San Raffaele University Italy
28 =30 University of Potsdam Germany
29 18 University of Duisburg-Essen Germany
30 28 Aalto University Finland
31 34 Western Sydney University Australia
32 44 Brighton and Sussex Medical School United Kingdom
33 29 Griffith University Australia
=34 25 Aalborg University Denmark
=34 =37 Tampere University Finland
=36 36 Alfaisal University Saudi Arabia
=36 35 Curtin University Australia
38 =83 Linköping University Sweden
=39 42 Australian Catholic University Australia
=39 32 Macau University of Science and Technology Macao
41 40 Auckland University of Technology New Zealand
42 49 Deakin University Australia
43 43 Qatar University Qatar
=44 =50 IMT Atlantique France
=44 33 University of Passau Germany
46 =45 University of South Australia Australia
=47 41 George Mason University United States
=47 =54 Khalifa University United Arab Emirates
49 NR National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Taiwan
50 62 Swinburne University of Technology Australia
=51 68 University of Rome II – Tor Vergata Italy
=51 52 Rush University United States
=53 47 Hasselt University Belgium
=53 =54 Reykjavík University Iceland
=55 74 University of Milan-Bicocca Italy
=55 =57 RMIT University Australia
57 =37 Università della Svizzera italiana Switzerland
=58 =45 University of Bayreuth Germany
=58 =57 University of California, Merced United States
=58 60 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Sweden
61 65 Montpellier University France
=62 =70 Aix-Marseille University France
=62 =77 Bournemouth University United Kingdom
64 61 University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa
65 =90 University of Bordeaux France
67 =50 Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences Iran
=68 =96 University of Brescia Italy
=68 69 Universiti Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam
=70 NR JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research India
=70 NR University of Vaasa Finland
72 NR Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences Iran
73 =99 Shenzhen University China
74 27 Jacobs University Germany
75 53 United Arab Emirates University United Arab Emirates
76 NR Harokopio University Greece
=77 48 University of Klagenfurt Austria
=77 66 NOVA University of Lisbon Portugal
=77 =63 Victoria University Australia
80 =70 Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology South Korea
81 =63 Indian Institute of Technology Ropar India
=82 119 University of Insubria Italy
=82 =93 Verona University Italy
84 75 Örebro University Sweden
85 NR University of Hail Saudi Arabia
=86 76 Indian Institute of Technology Indore India
=86 116 University of Southern Queensland Australia
88 79 University of Crete Greece
=89 =83 Koç University Turkey
=89 =177 University of Sharjah United Arab Emirates
=91 NR Université Grenoble Alpes France
=91 80 L’institut Agro France
=91 92 Middlesex University United Kingdom
94 =93 Edith Cowan University Australia
95 81 Northumbria University United Kingdom
96 =93 Cankaya University Turkey
97 =106 University of Plymouth United Kingdom
98 NR Ton Duc Thang University Vietnam
=99 =86 Centrale Nantes France
=99 =108 University of Cyprus Cyprus

See the full Young University Rankings 2022 here 

Editors 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 and Belarusian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.


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