NUS 15th, NTU 28th: Singapore Universities Set New Records

What the ranking says

Times Higher Education (THE) published its World University Rankings 2027 on Wednesday 30 September. 1. The top ten remain UK- and US-dominated. Oxford is first for an 11th consecutive year, MIT second, and Princeton and Stanford joint third. 2. Asia: Tsinghua 11th; Singapore records. Tsinghua rose one place to 11th, still Asia's highest; Peking University held 13th. NUS climbed two places to 15th — its best ever and still Asia's top three — while NTU moved from 31st to 28th, also a record. Three Singapore universities made the table. The University of Tokyo also rose one place. 3. Regional comparison. Malaysia had 29 universities listed (27 last year), with University of Malaya at 194th — Malaysia's first entry in the global top 200. Indonesia's highest is Universitas Indonesia in the 651–700 band, up from 801–1000. 4. Scale and method. A record 2,297 universities were ranked, 106 more than last year, from 118 countries and territories, assessed on 17 indicators across teaching, research environment, research quality, international outlook and industry. 5. THE's reading. Phil Baty, THE's chief global affairs officer, said the global higher education landscape is undergoing a fundamental change, with the latest rankings showing a historic realignment of academic power from West to East. 6. Our view: a reference, not an answer. Three things matter for families planning a Singapore education. First, both major universities posting record highs suggests application competition will keep rising — early planning beats last-minute cramming. Second, an overall rank describes the institution, not the programme your child will study; look at subject rankings, curriculum and graduate outcomes. Third, rankings change every year, so the selection logic should not. Start from your child's level and goals, then check entry requirements, costs and outcomes. Source: Lianhe Zaobao, 30 Sep 2026, “全球大学排名：新加坡三所大学上榜 国大南大历来最佳”; ranking by Times Higher Education (THE). Compiled by Singapore Global International; facts and figures from the sources above, while commentary and advice are our own. Original: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/singapore/story20260930-9754816