The National University of Singapore (NUS) ranked joint fourth globally, maintaining its position from 2025 while sharing the spot with the U.K.’s University of Oxford, which rose from fifth.

Another Singapore institution in the top tier is Nanyang Technological University (NTU), ranked ninth, down from sixth last year.

From 11th to 20th, China and Japan are the only other Asian countries represented in this range, with Tsinghua University ranked 11th, Peking University 16th, and the Institute of Science Tokyo 18th.

National University of Singapore's School of Computing. Photo courtesy of NUS

The QS rankings, compiled annually by U.K.-based higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds, assess universities using indicators such as academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, research productivity and impact, and international research collaboration.

The 2026 edition assessed more than 21,000 academic programs across 1,912 institutions in 100 countries and territories.

Across the top 20, U.S. universities dominate, accounting for eight institutions.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Carnegie Mellon University holding the top three positions, unchanged from last year.

The U.K. also maintains a strong presence, with the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and University College London all ranked within the top 20.