HKUST Reigns Supreme in QS University Rankings: Asia

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) retains the top spot in the 2013 QS University Rankings: Asia, having first reached number one in 2011 – a remarkable achievement for an institution that is just 22 years old. HKUST also tops the second annual QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking, further highlighting its uniquely rapid ascent to world-class status.

That HKUST has managed to achieve this during a period of transition from a three-year to four-year degree model is testament to the funding levels that have helped it maintain its staffing levels, research productivity and performance in the reputational indicators.

University Grants Committee funding for Hong Kong universities rose from 4.1% of total government spending in 2008/9 to 4.5% in 2011/12, in a period during which Hong Kong’s economy has maintained growth following a slump in 2009. This translates to over 0.5% of total government expenditure on average for each of Hong Kong’s eight universities, a remarkable figure.

HKUST has risen from fourth to first place since 2009 while Hong Kong University (HKU) ranks in second position, shared with the National University of Singapore. HKU topped the table in both the 2009 and 2010 editions of the rankings.

However, despite this, universities in Hong Kong are not immune to the increased competition on evidence throughout the region. Hong Kong’s other leading institution, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has been overtaken.

CUHK has slipped from fifth to seventh this year, a marked decline for an institution that ranked second in the inaugural QS University Rankings: Asia in 2009. Meanwhile City University of Hong Kong maintains its 2012 position of 12th, six places higher than its position in the original rankings in 2009.

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