In a triumphant win for Hong Kong’s academic sector, five of the city’s universities now occupy a place in Asia’s top 10 according to the latest major ranking table.

Educators and analysts have indicated this confirms the city’s status as the region’s premier study destination, and expect a greater inflow of non-local students and talents as a result.

The ascent was led by the University of Hong Kong (HKU), which reclaimed, for the first time in 15 years, the top spot of the 2026 QS Asia University Rankings, released on Tuesday by the British-based education information firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

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HKU’s President Zhang Xiang described the ranking as a reaffirmation of the university’s academic prowess as well as of its “pivotal role in shaping global higher education”.

Building on the recognition, Zhang pledged to further sharpen HKU’s edge as a “global nexus of knowledge”, positioning it at the forefront of AI-driven education and research.

He emphasized the university’s commitment to bridging East and West, fast-tracking the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s rise as an international hub while making pivotal contributions to the nation’s high-quality growth through scientific and educational excellence.

HKU’s return to the pinnacle after a multi-year gap headlined a collective showing, with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology leaping five spots to seize sixth place, overtaking local counterparts the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and City University, which are now tied at seventh. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University completed the top-tier charge, climbing from 17th to 10th place.

The upward momentum was felt across the city’s higher education landscape. Hong Kong Baptist University made a notable jump to 53rd place, up from 71st last year. The Education University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University also rose to 152nd and 181st place, respectively.

CUHK told China Daily that it notched perfect scores in key indicators of academic reputation, inbound exchange students, and international faculty ratio.

While acknowledging its position in various rankings, CUHK noted that each ranking had adopted its own evolving methodologies. The school remained steadfast in its core objective to pursue excellence in research, teaching, and innovation for the benefit of Hong Kong and beyond, it stated.

QS said Hong Kong reigned as the most improved higher education system in Asia out of the 25 ranked for 2026, attributing the result to its institutions’ standout performance across key metrics.

According to QS, Hong Kong led the region with the highest average score for academic reputation and trailed only Singapore for employer reputation, along with notable strength demonstrated in indicators such as international faculty and inbound exchange students.

This year’s edition boasted a record scale, expanding to a record 1,526 institutions across the region, including 557 debutants.

Ian Tsang, a veteran Hong Kong education consultant with 15 years in the field, linked the ranking surges to the SAR government’s intensified efforts to buttress international enrollment in local universities and the universities’ strategic increase in hiring international faculty — key aspects directly reflected in the QS’s methodology.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s latest Policy Address raised the non-local undergraduate enrollment cap to the equivalent of 50 percent of local incoming students, effective from the 2026-27 academic year.

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Tsang predicted that Hong Kong’s ranking success would continue to boost non-local applications. He said he expected a rising share to come from outside the Chinese mainland, particularly from other parts of Asia, thanks to the ongoing overseas recruitment roadshows conducted by many local universities.

While nodding to the government-supported push for cultivating an international academic matrix within the city, Tsang cautioned that the number of non-local students requires managed growth through expanded teaching and housing capacity to avoid crowding out local applicants.

This year’s ranking table also saw Peking University in Beijing pinned in the second spot, while the National University of Singapore and the country’s Nanyang Technological University were both listed third. Fudan University in Shanghai took fifth, and Beijing’s Tsinghua University ranked ninth.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com