View the THE Young University Rankings 2021 results
South Korea is home to the highest number of leading young universities in the world, according to Times Higher Education’s latest ranking.
The East Asian nation claims three places in the top 10 of the THE Young University Rankings – more than any other territory. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is fourth, up from fifth last year; Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) remains in eighth; and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) is 10th, up from 17th.
All three institutions achieved very high scores for industry income – a measure that indicates the amount of knowledge transfer activity at institutions. Four other South Korean institutions also feature in the ranking.
South Korea’s strong performance is part of a broader trend of success for the Asian continent. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore leads the ranking for the first time (it was ranked second last year), while Hong Kong has two representatives in the top 10: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (third, down from first) and City University of Hong Kong (fifth, up from seventh).
It is the first year that Asian universities outnumber those in the rest of the world in the top 10 of the Young rankings.
Download a free copy of the Young University Rankings 2021 digital supplement
The Young University Rankings only include institutions that are aged 50 years or under, meaning that institutions drop out of the ranking when they reach their 51st birthday. The results reflect the steady growth in new higher education institutions in Asia over the past 50 years, as well as their rising performance.
The UK is still the most-represented territory in the ranking, with 37 institutions, but India is now second (up from joint third) with 34.
The highest new entry in the rankings is France’s Paris-Saclay University, which features at 22nd place following a merger.
Overall, the ranking includes more than 450 universities from 68 countries/regions.
THE Young University Rankings 2021: the top 10
| 2021 rank | 2020 rank | Institution | Country/region | Foundation year |
| 1 | 2 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore | 1991 |
| 2 | 3 | Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris | France | 2010 |
| 3 | 1 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong | 1991 |
| 4 | 5 | Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) | South Korea | 1971 |
| 5 | 7 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 1984 |
| 6 | 6 | Maastricht University | Netherlands | 1976 |
| 7 | 4 | Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies – Pisa | Italy | 1987 |
| 8 | 8 | Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) | South Korea | 1986 |
| 9 | 15 | University of Technology Sydney | Australia | 1988 |
| 10 | 17 | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) | South Korea | 2009 |
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