The 15th annual QS World University Rankings by Subject was released. The global rankings continue to show the US and UK at the top. However, universities in key Asian study destinations such as Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and South Korea have made significant progress.
The QS subject rankings offer an independent comparative analysis of over 18,300 academic programs from more than 1,700 universities across 100 locations worldwide. These rankings cover 55 academic disciplines within five major fields: Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.
The US leads the global rankings, with 220 universities included and a total of 3,686 entries across all subjects. Nearly 40 of these universities were ranked #1 in their respective disciplines. In comparison, the UK has 104 universities represented with 1,883 entries and 18 subjects ranked #1 overall.
In other words, the UK, in second position, registers roughly half of the institutions, entries, and top-ranked positions as the US.
QS explains: "The UK’s rate of improvement lags behind countries and territories such as Hong Kong, China, and Singapore, where over 60% of entries rose in the rankings this year. In contrast, just one in five UK entries improved, while 37% dropped and 35% remained stable. Although this outpaces Canada, where only 15% of entries improved, it falls slightly behind other major study destinations, including the US and Australia."
"The global landscape is shifting," adds QS. "Universities in Asian education hubs such as Hong Kong SAR and China (Mainland) are making significant gains, rising rapidly through the rankings and challenging the long-standing dominance of the UK and the US. As competition intensifies, the global race for academic leadership is becoming more dynamic than ever".
