SINGAPORE, June 19 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) has retained its spot among the world’s top 10 universities, coming in eighth in the latest QS World University Rankings, while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) continued its upward momentum to place 12th.
Released yesterday, the 2026 edition of the rankings by British higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) covers 1,500 universities across 106 countries and territories.
NUS remains the highest-ranked university in Asia, maintaining its position as a regional leader after first breaking into the global top 10 in earlier editions.
NTU rose three places this year, after surging 11 places in the previous round, and now sits just outside the top 10.
NUS saw improvements in both academic reputation — now ranked 14th globally — and employer reputation, which rose 16 spots to 32nd. However, it dipped three places to 64th in citations per faculty, a key metric of research impact.
The rankings, now in their 22nd year, are based on nine indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, and international student and faculty ratios. The three most heavily weighted metrics are academic reputation (30 per cent), citations per faculty (20 per cent) and employer reputation (15 per cent).
NTU’s rise was driven by improved scores in employer reputation, jumping from 92nd to 67th, and in its international student ratio.
Among other local institutions, the Singapore Management University (SMU) posted one of the largest leaps, climbing 74 places to 511th. The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), on the other hand, fell 79 places to 519th.
Despite overall gains in global standing, all four Singapore universities saw declines or no change in indicators such as faculty-student ratio, citations per faculty, employment outcomes and sustainability.
