QS is known for its international university rankings. Now, its researchers had
a closer look at the best 50 universities that were established
less than 50 years ago. Six of the top 10 institutes are situated
in Asian tiger nations.
Top 10 under 50
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong (est.
1963)
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST),
Hong Kong (est. 1991)
- The University of Warwick, Great Britain (est. 1964)
- Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore (est.
1991)
- KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology,
South-Korea (est. 1971)
- University of York, Great Britain (est. 1963)
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH),
South-Korea (est. 1986)
- Maastricht University, the Netherlands (est. 1976)
- City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (est. 1984)
- University of California, Irvine (UCI), United States (est.
1965)
Especially, Hong Kong stands out in the ranking earning both first and second place
with CUHK and HKUST, respectively. The city-state is known for its
great commitment to education and research as OECD
expert Schleicher recently described.
Maastricht University is the only institute from continental
Europe represented in the top. Warwick and York universities from
the United Kingdom and UCI from the United States also make it to
the first 10 places.
Asia quickly catching up
Having a closer look at the type of institutions ranked, it
becomes apparent that scientific institutions fare particularly
well. Ben Sowter, head of QS research, comments: "New science-based
institutions have been established to drive innovation and growth
in booming economies such as Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore. Their
superior performance compared to Western universities established
within the same time frame is testament to Asia's dynamism."
This trend is further strengthened by greater investments into
research on behalf of Asian governments. China for instance doubled
its research budget between 2009 and 2011. "These rankings suggest
the West's advantage over Asia may be shrinking more quickly than
anticipated."