Choosing between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU)is no easy task. Each at the heart of a small and dynamic ‘Asian Tiger’ city-state economy, NUS and HKU are among the very best universities in Asia – and the world.
The recently released 2015 edition of the QS University Rankings: Asia confirms the closely matched competition between the two, with the National University of Singapore occupying the top spot while the University of Hong Kong is in second place. If you’re facing a choice between HKU and NUS – or you’re just interested in following the rising stars of these leading Asian universities – read on to see how they compare on each of the indicators assessed in the QS rankings.
Comparison based on the QS University Rankings: Asia 2015 | ||
|
| National University of Singapore (NUS)
| University of Hong Kong (HKU)
|
| Academic reputation
| 2nd
| 6th
|
| Employer reputation
| 1st
| 6th
|
| Faculty/student ratio
| 14th
| 30th
|
| Papers per faculty
| 94th
| 88th
|
| Citations per paper
| 3rd
| 8th
|
| International faculty
| 7th
| 6th
|
| International students
| 8th
| 2nd
|
| Inbound exchange students
| 10th
| 12th
|
| Outbound exchange students
| 12th
| 18th
|
| Overall ranking
| 1st
| 2nd |
As the table above shows, these two top universities in Asia are fairly closely matched in each of the areas assessed. While NUS boasts a slightly stronger reputation among both academics and employers, HKU is just a few places behind. Both rank respectably for faculty/student ratio – the number of full-time academic staff relative to student enrolments – which aims to give an indication of academic support levels. And both have been among the region’s most successful in attracting overseas students and academics, with highly diverse communities and thriving exchange programs in both directions.
For both universities, the weakest point is research productivity. Although still within Asia’s top 100, they appear relatively lower down the list when sorted by papers published per faculty member. However, they are nonetheless among the region’s most influential research hubs – both are well within the top 10 when assessing citations per paper.
Subject strengths
These two large and comprehensive universities are both ranked among the world’s best in an impressive array of disciplines. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2015, NUS is ranked in 31 of the 36 subjects covered, and HKU 33. The National University of Singapore makes a remarkable 10 appearances within the global top 10, while the University Hong Kong claims four top-10 spots. The former’s strongest rankings come largely in the engineering disciplines, particularly civil & structural engineering, while HKU shines particularly bright in the dentistry ranking.
