Universities in Asia: At the Heart of the Asian Century

A key force in the ‘Asian Century’, universities in Asia are on course to reach new levels of global impact, presenting an ever more attractive set of options for both students and academics, writes Elke Schwarz.

Asia’s unparalleled rise in terms of economic and political power in recent years has become a permanent feature in economic and political analysis around the globe. The region’s economic and geopolitical role in the world has without doubt become one of the key drivers for global markets in a range of sectors and industries, specifically in science, engineering and technology.

A cursory glance at the capitals of Asian countries like Cambodia, Vietnam or Malaysia reveals the high levels of investments made in this region in general. Foreign investment, paired with accelerated levels of wealth generation by regional businesses, has made this area a shooting star in terms of global power. Hailed as the new Silicon Valley, tech hot-spots like Singapore and Hong Kong attract substantial investments from the US and Europe and a growing number of established firms as well as start-ups choose to set up their operations in these highly dynamic markets.

See the 2013 QS University Rankings: Asia >

Universities in Asia challenging the West

With global interest in the region at a high, the share of Asian countries in terms of global growth will continue to increase for a while to come still. With buying power on the rise, Asia will cement its position as a central hub for growth.

It is estimated that the region’s economy will exceed that of the United States and Europe’s combined by 2030, while the Brookings Institute predicts Asia will comprise 64% of the world’s middle class by 2030. Poverty levels are decreasing, per capita income is on the rise and wealth creation within the entire Asian region is well underway. As many have quipped, the 21st century is certainly poised to be the Asian Century.

The tremendous boost in higher education the region has experienced in recent years plays a significant role in this growth, as universities in Asia increasingly challenge the West’s role in leading the global market in terms of research, innovation and education excellence. Asian countries have made considerable investments in research-focused higher education institutions and research centers, specifically in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, and these efforts are now paying off. In the most recent QS World University Rankings, Asia was represented by 11 universities among the top 50.

As the highest ranking Asian university in the overall table, Hong Kong University (HKU) is firmly placed at rank 23, just behind the University of California, Berkeley. Following closely in 25th place is the National University of Singapore, while the prestigious University of Tokyo ranks at 30th.

Also within the world’s top 50 universities are the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Kyoto University, Seoul National University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Peking University, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Tsinghua University and Osaka University.

Culture, policy, demographics: Asia’s recipe for success

During the last five years, there has been a 17% increase in the number of Asian universities represented in the global 200. This cluster of research excellence is indicative of the drive toward becoming world-class education and knowledge hubs evident in China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, and the fact that these universities have firmly established their place in the league tables speaks for itself.

While the struggle for university funding so palpable in the Western higher education landscape certainly contributes to the improved performance of Asian universities in the rankings in recent years, there are certain conditions specific to the Asian market that have facilitated and will continue to promote, the laudable rise of Asian institutions, and certain attributes that make this region specifically suited for growth.

One of these attributes is the Asian attitude toward education. Asian societies have a tremendous respect for the importance of education and scholarship in a personal and societal context. Many families, if they have the means, will save up religiously for university tuition fees for their offspring. The significance of education is also reflected in policy decisions enacted by China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and other countries in the region, that specifically foster education, research and innovation by investing in excellence initiatives and dedicated centers.

Korea, for example, launched the ‘World Class University’ project in 2008, as well as the KoreaBrain21 (KB21) program which aims to create 10 top tier research universities of world-class standing, in order to produce the next generation of world-class leaders for the country. Similarly, China’s Project 985, begun in 1998, aims to actively promote China as a country of education and research excellence by making funding available for research centers, improved facilities and intellectual exchange with scholars around the globe. Initially only available to 9 universities in China, the program now comprises 39 universities which receive such funding.

Another aspect characteristic for the Asian region which contributes to setting up Asian universities for accelerated development is the comparatively high levels of population growth taking place in the region overall. It is estimated that by 2020, 50% of the world’s university-age people – between 18 and 22 years – will be from India, China, Indonesia and Pakistan. While these levels of growth will eventually slow down, they will continue to propel the region toward new heights in the international context.

A third important aspect is the sheer economic dynamism in engineering, technology and science Asia is experiencing at the moment. Many universities in Asia have long placed a specific focus on STEM subjects that will become increasingly relevant in the years to come, such as environmental technology, medical research and ecological sciences. With this focus, Asian universities have attracted researchers and professors from across the globe to work at the cutting edge of these sciences and technologies and help shape this interesting and superbly dynamic region.

Strength in diversity: Asia’s top universities

The university landscape in the Asian region is diverse, with some universities boasting long historical traditions – the University of Tokyo, for example – as well as a number of relative newcomers which have conquered the education market by storm.

Universities in Asia also vary in size and focus. Leading this year’s QS University Rankings: Asia is such a newcomer, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. HKUST opened its doors to the first cohort in 1991 and currently hosts more than 12,500 students and 500 academic staff. The institution comprises five schools which respectively focus on science, engineering, business and management, the humanities and social science.

A relatively new university, HKUST has consistently been able to attract growing levels of research funding. Following suit in the QS University Rankings: Asia is the National University of Singapore (NUS), which is comparatively large with 37,000 students. NUS has a highly international profile and strives to engage in intellectual exchange and collaborations through partnerships with a range of other institutions around the globe.

NUS features three Research Centers of Excellence (RCEs) and is at the forefront of research in technology, medicine and ecology, as well as digital media. Ranking consistently high in the global rankings, NUS is strong in engineering and technology and life science subjects in particular. It retains second place in this year's QS University Rankings: Asia, shared with Hong Kong University (HKU), a rather smaller institution with 20,000 students, but nonetheless a powerhouse in itself in terms of research and education.

While the top ten of the QS University Rankings: Asia is dominated by Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea have also performed consistently well. China now has the largest number of universities among the top 300 – 75 versus Japan’s 71.

Meanwhile the prestigious University of Tokyo retains the lead for academic reputation, as the region’s top rated by academics for four of the subject areas – arts and humanities, engineering and technology, life sciences and medicine and natural sciences – and second for social sciences and management. Established in 1877, the University of Tokyo comprises 28,798 students in total, of which 2,913 are international. The university has six state-of-the-art research institutes: Medical Science, the Earthquake Research Institute, the Institute for Solid State Physics, the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute and the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology.

With cutting-edge research centers as the ones offered by NUS, HKUST or the University of Tokyo, it is not surprising that Asia will continue to attract researchers, scholars and academic staff from across the globe in order to draw on top research facilities in a specific field. This, paired with growing student interest in the region, and high levels of economic growth, will continue to drive demand for higher education in Asia and drive enrolment levels toward Western standards.

Both Japan and Hong Kong have reached participation levels that compare to those in the UK and are set to exceed the UK by 2030. Of course, the Asian education market, like all markets, will consolidate, change and become less quantity-focused and more quality-focused. But for the foreseeable future this education and research arena is one with tremendous potential for internationalization and research excellence, ready to soar to new heights.