Six Hong Kong institutions have been listed among the world’s top 200 universities, a record for the city, with the British compiler of the table attributing their higher rankings to increased investments in research and staffing.
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The University of Hong Kong (HKU), the city’s oldest, rose from 35th to 33rd place, the highest among all the local institutions, while the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) registered the biggest jump, moving from 66th to 58th.
Renowned British publication Times Higher Education (THE), which released the 2026 World University Rankings on Thursday, said that most of Hong Kong’s improvements were driven by teaching reputation, doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratios and staff-to-student ratios.
“This suggests that the universities are becoming more research-intensive and are investing in academic staff and doctoral studies,” it said.
The publication’s chief global affairs officer, Phil Baty, said this year’s rankings highlighted a “dramatic and accelerating trend”, with a shift in the balance of power in research and higher education excellence from the dominant institutions of Western countries to Asian nations.
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“The US and much of western Europe have lost significant ground in the World University Rankings while Asian nations, led by China, continue to surge up the rankings. This clear trend is set to persist as research funding and international talent attraction continue to be stymied in the West,” THE said.