The QS rankings for 2025 include over 1,500 universities across 105 education systems worldwide. The United States leads with 197 institutions, followed by the United Kingdom with 90, and mainland China with 71. Notably, five Asian universities made it into the top 20.
MIT retains its top position for the 13th consecutive year, with Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge following closely.
In Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) secures the 8th spot. It offers an extensive range of programmes including 70 bachelor's degrees and over 140 graduate courses, alongside numerous double degree options.
Peking University in China is ranked 14th globally. It features six faculties and follows a semester-based academic calendar that includes both spring and autumn terms. It caters to undergraduate and graduate degrees, in addition to short-term courses in Chinese studies.
Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore ranks 15th globally and provides scholarships based on academic merit and leadership qualities for full-time undergraduate students.
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) holds the 17th position in the QS world rankings. It offers multiple undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across 10 faculties. It follows a semester system with assessments through examinations and project assignments.
Tsinghua University, ranked 20th globally, offers 88 undergraduate majors and 40 minor degree majors across 10 disciplines.
These universities maintain rigorous admission criteria typically requiring strong academic backgrounds and sometimes specific tests such as GRE/GMAT or language proficiency exams.