National Taiwan University (NTU) maintained its position as Taiwan’s highest-ranked institution in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2026 Asia University Rankings, climbing three spots to 23rd place from last year, according to a release yesterday.
Seven other Taiwanese universities also made the top 100, including National Tsing Hua University (37th), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (41st), National Cheng Kung University (43rd) and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (46th).
National Sun Yat-sen University tied for the 72nd with Xiamen University in China, followed by National Taiwan Normal University (80th) and National Taipei University of Technology (88th).
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
With the eight entries, Taiwan ranked fifth for the number of universities in the top 100, behind China (25), South Korea (15), Japan (12) and Malaysia (10).
The QS Asia Rankings assess universities based on 11 indicators, which have been tailored to reflect the nuances of the region and differentiate it from the QS World University Rankings, the London-based higher education rankings company said in a news release.
NTU has consistently ranked as Taiwan’s top university, recognized for its outstanding academic and employer reputation.
It also leads the country’s universities in the International Students indicator, the company said.
Across Asia, the University of Hong Kong was named the top university, overtaking China’s Peking University, which placed second, while Nanyang Technological University, Singapore rose one spot to tie for third with fellow Singaporean institution the National University of Singapore.
Taiwan matched Hong Kong with five universities in the top 50, trailing China (13), Japan (eight), Malaysia (eight) and South Korea (seven).
This year’s edition was the largest ever, featuring 1,529 universities across 25 higher education systems, including 57 universities in Taiwan.
Among the Taiwanese universities, 17 entries from last year improved in the latest ranking, three remained in the same position and 29 fell.
Eight universities debuted in the ranking this year.
On specific indicators, the University of Tokyo was named the regional leader in both academic and employer reputation, with an overall ranking of 26.
Taiwan’s National Chiayi University ranked as the regional leader for staff with Ph.D. degrees, with an overall ranking of 1001-1100.
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