Bad times for top four unis in world rankings

Eunice Lam

Hong Kong's top four universities saw their rankings drop between four and eight places in the latest global rankings by Times Higher Education.

Though the University of Hong Kong fell four places to 35th, it continues to be rated the best university here and ranked sixth among Asian universities.

Chinese University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology came in at 53rd and 64th place, down from 45th and 58th last year.

Polytechnic University dropped to 87th from 79th.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2024 include 1,904 unis across 108 countries and regions.

Universities are rated based on 18 performance indicators in teaching, research quality, research environment, international outlook and industry.

Of six Hong Kong unis ranked this year, five made it into the top 100.

City University shot up to 82nd from 99th. Baptist University rose to top 350 from last year's top 600.

In the capital, Tsinghua and Peking universities are 12th and 14th in the world and first and second in Asia.

Singaporean institutions continued to perform better than those in Hong Kong, with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University ranked 19th and 32nd in the world.

The University of Oxford in the United Kingdom remains the world's top university for an eighth consecutive year.

Three American universities - Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University -tied for second, third, and fourth.

Chief global affairs officer Phil Baty said Hong Kong has "an exceptionally high concentration of world-class universities creating a vibrant international hub for research and innovation.

"Hong Kong is at the heart of a thriving global knowledge hub in the Greater Bay Area, providing a bridge between East and West to draw in international talent and driving the knowledge economy," he said.

A HKU spokesman said it "remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering exceptional education for our students, with a relentless pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and knowledge exchange."

CUHK said: "Regardless of CUHK's performance in different league tables, the university remains committed to striving for excellence in research, education, and innovation, with the aim of generating positive impact and contributing to communities here in Hong Kong, across the nation and around the world."

HKUST and PolyU both said they will take the rankings as a reference to learn about their performance and identify areas for improvement.