NO INDIAN INSTITUTE IN QS ‘TOP 50 UNDER 50’ LIST
L ed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, four Indian institutes have made it to the 2021 edition of global higher education analysts QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) ‘Next 100 under 50’ rankings.
With the debut of IIT Hyderabad as the second-best young Indian institute under the age of 50, India’s representation increased by one in the latest edition, from three last year. The other two Indian institutes under 50 are University of Hyderabad in third and OP Jindal Global University at fourth. However, no Indian university made it to the top 50 under 50. Overall, Asian higher educational institutes have taken four of the top five positions in the 2021 edition of the Top 50 under 50. Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) retained its status as the world’s leading young institute under 50. It was closely followed by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, South Korea’s KAIST, and the City University of Hong Kong. All the top four institutes also reached the global top 50 in the overall QS
World University Rankings.
Beyond the top 10, the strength the higher education sector in Asia-pacific was evident in this ranking. Australia, with nine featured universities among the 50, enjoys higher levels of representation than any other location.
Europe’s top young university is Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres), which has immediately established itself as one of the world’s top 100 in the short time since it gained collegiate university status by decree in 2019.
Its compatriot Sorbonne University came in at 8th, behind The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (6th) and South Korea’s Pohang
University of Science and Technology (7th).
The top 10 list was completed by Finland’s Aalto University and Universiti Putra Malaysia, the latter being a debutant in the top 10 —which epitomises Malaysia’s rise in the higher education sector. The average age of the top 10 universities is 25.4 years, with three — Université PSL, Sorbonne University, and Aalto University — having been formed by foundation or merger within the last decade.
According to Ben Sowter, director (research) at QS, the decision to publish a list of the world’s top 150 young universities was backed by two factors.