This undated photo shows a general view of the University of Hong Kong. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG - Four Hong Kong universities have placed among the world’s top 200 tertiary institutions in an annual reputation ranking, while Tsinghua University has become the first Chinese mainland university to break into the top 10.

The University of Hong Kong was ranked 48th in the World Reputation Rankings 2021 released by the Times Higher Education on Wednesday.

The annual list, compiled from a globally representative survey of more than 10,000 senior academics, highlights the world's top 200 most prestigious universities.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong also made it to the top 200.

The magazine said the mainland’s breakthrough into the top 10 could have an impact on Britain and the United States ability to attract talent and funding

Meanwhile, seven of the world's 100 most prestigious universities are from the Chinese mainland.

Tsinghua University and Peking University are ranked 10th and 15th respectively in the latest list, while the other five are Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, University of Science and Technology of China and Nanjing University.

The magazine said the mainland’s breakthrough into the top 10 could have an impact on Britain and the United States ability to attract talent and funding.

All of the Chinese mainland's universities that appeared in last year's ranking either climbed the table or hold onto their positions for a second year. Five new universities appear in the ranking, giving the Chinese mainland a record 17 representatives in the table.

Tsinghua University's campus in all its glory. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

"(The) Chinese mainland's breakthrough into the top 10 and its results across the table show that its excellence in higher education is increasingly coming to the notice of the wider world," said Phil Baty, THE's chief knowledge officer at Times Higher Education.

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"That fact means we could see a shift in the balance of power in global higher education over the coming years as (the) Chinese mainland becomes a more attractive proposition for academics and students to work and study," he noted. "This could not only cause issues for the likes of the US and (the) UK in terms of attracting talent(s), but also funding and prestige on the world stage," he said.

The ranking, comprising 202 universities from 29 countries and regions, sees Harvard University in the United States retain its No 1 ranking on the table, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology retaining second place and Britain's University of Oxford climbing two places to the third.