Top Universities in Asia: NUS Vs HKU

Choosing between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is no easy task. Each at the heart of a small and dynamic ‘Asian Tiger’ city-state economy, NUS and HKU are among the very best universities in Asia – and the world.

The recently released 2019 edition of the QS Asia University Rankings confirms the closely matched competition between the two, with the National University of Singapore occupying first place, while the University of Hong Kong is in second place. If you’re facing a choice between HKU and NUS – or you’re just interested in following the rising stars of these leading Asian universities – read on to see how they compare on each of the indicators assessed in the QS rankings.

As the table above shows, these two top universities in Asia are fairly closely matched in each of the areas assessed. While NUS boasts a slightly stronger reputation among both academics and employers, HKU is not too far behind. Both rank respectably for faculty/student ratio – the number of full-time academic staff relative to student enrolments – which aims to give an indication of academic support levels. And both have been among the region’s most successful in attracting overseas students and academics, with highly diverse communities and thriving exchange programs in both directions.

For both universities, the weakest point is research productivity. Although still within Asia’s top 120, they appear relatively lower down the list when sorted by papers published per faculty member. However, they are nonetheless among the region’s most influential research hubs – both are within the top 25 when assessing citations per paper. Both institutions also perform well for the international research network indicator, which assesses the strength and diversity of their international research collaborations.

Subject strengths

These two large and comprehensive universities are both ranked among the world’s best in an impressive array of disciplines. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018, NUS is ranked in 36 of the 48 subjects covered, and HKU 37. Both universities boast their fair share of spots in the top 50, with NUS’ strongest rankings found largely in the engineering disciplines, particularly civil & structural engineering, while HKU is the world leader for dentistry.  

This article was originally published in June 2013. It was last updated in November 2018.

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