THE’s Asia University Rankings 2026 released last week shows Chinese universities have once again dominated the continent, retaining a firm hold on the top positions.
Tsinghua University remains in first place and Peking University in second. Mainland China claimed five of the top 10 spots and 20 of the top 50, a figure unchanged from last year.
The rest of the top 10 shows minimal reshuffling.
The National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University hold steady in third and joint fourth, respectively. The University of Tokyo edged up to joint fourth from fifth, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong slipped to 10th, trading places with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which is now ninth.
The top 10 universities in Asia in 2026. Graphics by THE |
Experts attribute China’s sustained rise to long-term state investment.
Simon Marginson, a professor of higher education at the universities of Bristol and Oxford, noted that China’s strong performance across global rankings reflects its prioritization of science, technology, and research universities. He observed that research output is closely tied to government funding.
He said that “research performance, especially, is closely correlated to government funding, and always has been.”
“So next year the gap between China and the other two giants, the U.S. and Europe, will widen significantly,” he added, as quoted by THE.
The rankings also point to intensifying competition across Asia, particularly in East Asia.
THE data scientist Catherine Tushabe observed that while institutions in in Japan and South Korea have posted modest score gains, these increases fall below the global median, causing them to lose ground in the rankings. Declines in the research environment, research quality, and industry income metrics were among the most consistent challenges.
The rankings are based on 18 performance indicators. These are grouped into five key pillars: teaching (the learning environment); research environment (volume, income, and reputation); research quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence, and research influence); international outlook (staff, students, and research); and industry (income and patents).
Japan’s overall results are mixed. While the University of Tokyo reached its highest position since 2015 and the newly formed Institute of Science Tokyo debuted strongly at 34th, a broader pattern of stagnation persists. Many Japanese universities are either holding their position or falling in the ranks.
South Korea shows a similar pattern. Several institutions, including the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University, and the University of Ulsan, dropped notably, while relatively few recorded major gains.
In contrast, Hong Kong’s universities have strengthened their standing. All six institutions ranked last year remain in the top 50. Hong Kong Baptist University climbed from 50th to 40th, and two new entrants reached the top 100.
Malaysia is also emerging as a rising player. Universiti Teknologi Petronas climbed to joint 35th, reflecting broader system-wide improvements. Analysts say the country’s progress is driven by a strategic focus on regional positioning and strong performances from private universities aiming to improve their global rankings.
This year’s Asia rankings include 929 universities from 36 countries and territories.
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