Hong Kong has emerged as the world's most improved location, while Singapore boasts the highest concentration of top-10 positions, with 30% of its entries securing these spots.
QS Quacquarelli Symonds has released the 15th edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, comparing over 21,000 academic offerings, taken by students at more than 1,700 universities across 100 countries and territories in 55 subjects and five faculty areas.
Globally, the US continues to lead with 3,245 ranked entries, topping 32 of the 55 subjects. Harvard ranks first in 19 subjects, while MIT leads in 12.
The UK follows with 1,883 entries, leading in 18 subjects. Cambridge tops four subjects, and Oxford three, tying with ETH Zurich.
In the APAC region, Hong Kong is the world's most improved location. Of its 231 subject entries, 68% have climbed, 6% have dropped, and 15% remain stable. The city boasts six subjects in the global top 10.
Mainland China leads the way in the number of new entries to the ranking. Peking and Tsinghua each earn two top-three spots. Seven of the world's 10 most improved universities are Chinese.
Singapore continues to shine, with 30% of its entries securing top-10 positions, the highest concentration in the world.
In Australia, The Universities of Melbourne and Sydney rank among the world's top 100 in a world-leading 52 of 55 subjects.
India has 12 entries from nine institutions in the top 50, spearheaded by mineral & mining engineering at the Indian School of Mines University, Dhanbad, which ranks 20th.
Top APAC universities by subject in 2025
Linguistics
Rank University
2 Peking University, Mainland China
8 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
9 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
10 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
12 Fudan University, Mainland China
17 Seoul National University, South Korea
18 Beijing Foreign Studies University, Mainland China
=21 Beijing Normal University, Mainland China
=23 The University of Tokyo, Japan
25 Korea University, South Korea
27 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
28 Zhejiang University, Mainland China
=30 The University of Melbourne, Australia
=30 Yonsei University, South Korea
Data science
Rank University
5 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
7 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
17 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong SAR
18 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
19 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
25 Seoul National University, South Korea
Nursing
Rank University
5 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
8 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
=16 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Hong Kong SAR
=20 The University of Sydney, Australia
24 Monash University, Australia
25 The University of Melbourne, Australia
26 University of Technology Sydney, Australia
=27 Taipei Medical University (TMU), Taiwan
Dentistry
Rank University
2 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
=4 Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Japan
12 Sichuan University, Mainland China
25 Wuhan University, Mainland China
=26 SAVEETHA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL AND TECHNICAL SCIENCES (SIMATS), India
Geography
Rank University
6 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
9 Peking University, Mainland China
10 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
15 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
16 The University of Tokyo, Japan
17 The University of Melbourne, Australia
19 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
20 The Australian National University, Australia
25 The University of Sydney, Australia
Accounting & finance
Rank University
=12 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
=14 Peking University, Mainland China
16 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
20 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
22 The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia
27 The University of Melbourne, Australia
28 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
29 The University of Sydney, Australia
Education & training
Rank University
3 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
7 Beijing Normal University, Mainland China
8 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
12 The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
14 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
15 Peking University, Mainland China
16 The University of Melbourne, Australia
=20 The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR
=24 National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
26 The University of Sydney, Australia
=28 Seoul National University, South Korea
30 Monash University, Australia
Business & management studies
Rank University
8 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
14 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
23 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
25 Peking University, Mainland China
26 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong SAR
27 Indian Institute of Management (IIM) – Ahmedabad, India
28 Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Mainland China
30 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
Economics & econometric
Rank University
16 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
=18 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
20 Peking University, Mainland China
=27 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong SAR
=29 The University of Tokyo, Japan
Legal studies
Rank University
10 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
12 The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia
13 The University of Melbourne, Australia
15 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
=16 The University of Tokyo, Japan
18 The University of Sydney, Australia
=22 Peking University, Mainland China
=22 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
=26 The Australian National University, Australia
Marketing
Rank University
6 National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
13 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
17 The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong SAR
=20 The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia
22 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Hong Kong SAR
26 Tsinghua University, Mainland China
28 Korea University, South Korea
29 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong SAR
Hospitality & leisure management
Rank University
11 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Hong Kong SAR
13 Macao University of Tourism (ex-Macao Institute for Tourism Studies), Macau SAR
20 Taylor's University, Malaysia
25 Griffith University, Australia
26 The University of Queensland, Australia
27 Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS), Australia
28 Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU), Singapore
29 Sejong University, South Korea
Article By humanresourcesonline.net