University of Hong Kong places 36th in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 – its top mark in six years
Mainland China’s Tsinghua University also came in strong, beating the National University of Singapore for the title of best in Asia
The University of Hong Kong has been ranked 36th in a global league table of tertiary institutions, its best performance in six years, while Tsinghua University in mainland China, ranked 22nd, has pipped the National University of Singapore by one spot to become the best in Asia.
Tsinghua’s strong showing in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 saw it for the first time surpass Peking University, which was ranked 31st, down from 27th in last year’s list.
Times Higher Education’s editorial director of global rankings Phil Baty said Tsinghua and other mainland universities’ strong showing was testament to “China’s formula for success” by investing in its top schools and attracting the best global talent.
In Hong Kong, Lingnan University’s chair professor of comparative policy Joshua Mok Ka-ho said the Chinese government had invested heavily in improving research rigour and quality through creating more stringent frameworks for projects and bringing back overseas Chinese talent.
“Times Higher Education’s ranking places significant weight on research and reputation. And the Chinese government has been working very strategically in making Tsinghua a top university globally,” Mok said.