China dominates Asian university rankings

The 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings, published on April 23, show Tsinghua University and Peking University retaining the top two spots for the sixth consecutive year.

Following them, the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the University of Tokyo (Japan), and the University of Hong Kong maintained their rankings from the previous year.

Completing the top 10 are Fudan University, Zhejiang University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. While Shanghai Jiao Tong University fell from 7th to 10th place, the other three Chinese universities each rose one spot.

Below are the top 10 universities in Asia for 2025, according to THE rankings:

THE, one of the world's three major university ranking organizations alongside QS and ARWU, evaluates universities using 18 performance indicators across five categories: teaching (24.5%), research environment (28%), research quality (30%), international outlook (7.5%), and industry impact (10%).

This year's rankings included 853 institutions from 31 countries and territories, over 100 more than the previous year. Newcomers to the rankings included universities from Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Mongolia, and Syria.

Japan led the field in sheer numbers, with 199 ranked institutions, followed by India (107) and China (94). However, China's quality outshone its quantity, with 25 universities achieving their highest rankings ever.

THE attributed much of this success to China's Double First-Class initiative, launched in 2015 to elevate select universities to world-class status. The program identified 42 top-tier institutions and has since invested 167 billion yuan ($22.92 billion) to support their development.

Since THE introduced a new ranking methodology in 2024, the performance of China's Double First-Class universities has accelerated, surpassing other universities in the region. Prior to 2023, Chinese institutions were improving at roughly the same pace. However, according to Billy Wong, THE's principal data scientist, by 2024 the gap between these elite universities and others had nearly doubled.

Tsinghua University Campus, China. Photo by Tsinghua University Fanpage

The Double First-Class initiative follows earlier efforts like the 211 and 985 programs from the 1990s, which also focused on strengthening select Chinese universities.

As Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Oxford, put it: "Without such programs the China miracle in university science would not have occurred," THE reported.

India, with its massive higher education system and large youth population, has the potential to challenge China's dominance. However, the Institutes of Eminence program, intended to develop world-class universities in India, has faced persistent issues, casting doubt on its future.

Originally announced in 2017 as a sustainable alternative to bringing in foreign universities, the program has struggled to maintain momentum. Recently, India reconsidered the idea of international branch campuses, attracting interest from institutions in Australia, the U.K., and other countries. While this could enhance the global competitiveness of Indian universities, significant investment and strategic focus on top domestic institutions are still needed for sustained improvement.