Ranking: Top 30 universities in Asia 2024

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National University of Singapore has risen three spots to enter the global top 10 for the first time, and also the first Asian university to do so.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has managed to clinch the eighth spot in the QS World University Rankings 2024, making it the first Asian university to enter the top 10. 

Having held 11^th place for the past five years, NUS rose three spots in this year’s rankings, and emerged the top university in Asia.

This edition of the QS World University Rankings features 1,500 institutions across 104 locations globally, introducing three new metrics: sustainability, employment outcomes, and international research network (detailed below). The following results draw on the analysis of 17.5mn academic papers and the expert opinions of over 240,000 academic faculty and employers.

Top 30 universities in Asia

Click here for the full ranking. 

Global rankings

Globally, Massachusetts Institute of Technology celebrates twelve years in the first spot, followed by the University of Cambridge in second place. The University of Oxford climbs one spot to rank third.

Overall, the top 10 universities are: 

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
2. University of Cambridge
3. University of Oxford
4. Harvard University
5. Stanford University
6. Imperial College London
7. ETH Zurich 
8. National University of Singapore (NUS)
9. UCL
10. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Methodology 

Following an enhancement, this year's rankings took into consideration three new metrics:

Sustainability

Sustainability has become a touchpoint for global institutions as students come to expect institutions to tackle issues related to social and climate justice. The QS International Student Survey 2022 found that 80% of students think universities could do more for the environment. This is reflective of a wider trend of younger students who advocate strongly for social and environmental activism.

Employment outcomes

The ranking boosted the weight of employer reputation to 15%, and added employment outcomes at 5% —.this remains the only major ranking to enshrine the importance of employability in its methodology. 

International research network

International research network is another way of recognising the importance of research in changing the world. This metric provides insight into how internationally connected an institution’s research is, while recognising the importance of collaborative research more broadly.

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