Four Hong Kong universities — City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) — have secured the top four positions in the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 ranking of the world’s most international universities.
CityU retained its top position. Additionally, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) secured 11th place in the rankings.
THE announced the ranking on Wednesday, primarily based on four indicators: international faculty, international students, international co-authorship, and international reputation. Among the assessed 2,092 universities worldwide, 217 universities from 40 countries or regions met the criteria.
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According to THE, CityU boasts over 4,000 exchange partners across 44 countries and regions, with over 1,200 students participating in exchange programs annually. THE described it as having “nowhere to rise to” as it had topped the ranking for the second time in a row.
HKUST, PolyU, and HKU respectively rose by seven, seven, and two places to secure the second, third, and fourth positions globally, surpassing prestigious institutions like the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, and ETH Zurich.
HKUST is recognized as one of the fastest-developing universities globally, with over 45 percent of its students engaging in overseas exchanges and around 70 percent participating in international internships, as per THE.
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THE said that PolyU encourages all its students to engage in exchange programs outside the city, and has established partnerships with over 244 universities worldwide to facilitate such exchanges.
HKU offers 50 percent of its undergraduate students two opportunities to study outside the city during their degree programs, with courses conducted in English. The educational approach emphasizes internationalization, aiming to nurture students to become global citizens capable of succeeding anywhere in the world, according to THE.
CUHK also improved its ranking by two places to secure the 11th spot.
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THE pointed out that the outstanding performance of Hong Kong universities is largely attributed to their close ties with neighboring countries or regions. This year, THE said the exceptional performance of Hong Kong institutions was further enhanced, and the international co-authorship indicators of the five ranked universities had improved significantly.
THE reported a 70-percent increase in the number of journal articles collaboratively written by authors from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chinese mainland between 2019 and 2023.
Hong Kong is recognized as one of the most globalized cities in the world, serving as a gateway between the East and West, according to THE.
