Latest news with #NadimMahassen
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
China universities on the rise in Global 2000 rankings
BEIJING: The global higher education landscape is undergoing a profound transformation, as China shows consistent improvement in academic output while universities in the United States face downward pressure in global rankings amid recent student visa policies, experts said. China has surpassed the US for the first time in the number of universities listed in the latest Global 2000 university rankings. Chinese institutions now account for 17 per cent of the list, up from 324 last year to 346 this year, while the number of ranked US universities dropped from 329 to 319. The World University Rankings 2025, released on Monday (June 2) by the Center for World University Rankings, revealed that 98 per cent of Chinese universities improved their positions — a surge attributed to enhanced research performance and sustained government investment in higher education. Tsinghua University rose six places to rank 37th, excelling in employability and research. Peking University advanced three places to the 44th, while the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences jumped four places to 46th — surpassing Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the 61st place and Zhejiang University in the 68th position. Nadim Mahassen, president of the Center for World University Rankings, said that China is well represented among the world's top universities, and further financial backing from the government will allow the country to be more competitive in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape. Although the US still has eight of the world's top 10 universities — led by Harvard, MIT and Stanford — 83 per cent of its listed institutions declined in rank. The United Kingdom's Cambridge and Oxford secured the fourth and fifth places, respectively. Mahassen said that while the US still boasts the top universities in the world, the decline in ranking of the vast majority of its higher education institutions on the list is concerning. "At a time when Chinese universities are reaping the rewards of years of generous financial support from their government, American institutions are grappling with slashed federal funding and disputes over academic freedom and free speech," he said. Recent controversies, such as the Trump administration's move to revoke enrollment of international students at Harvard, later blocked by a federal judge, highlight the challenges facing US higher education. "For many years, American universities were able to attract a large number of international students, particularly from China. But with China's extraordinary ascent in the rankings, coupled with the recent visa policies of the US, the situation may change soon," Mahassen said. Liu Wei, senior vice-president of New Channel International Education Group and CEO of its overseas study division, said that China has been gaining ground in multiple international ranking systems — including QS, Times Higher Education and the Academic Ranking of World Universities — showing consistent improvement in academic output and global research influence. He emphasized that recent US visa policies toward Chinese students, such as the announcement of revoking the visas of some of those studying in "critical fields", are also influencing the global higher education landscape and may affect the future rankings of US and Chinese institutions. "Stricter visa policies have introduced uncertainty for Chinese students seeking to study in the US, prompting many to consider alternatives," Liu said. Countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore, as well as some European countries, have ramped up efforts to attract international students, particularly those diverting from the US. Universities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region also moved quickly to offer assistance when Harvard's ability to admit international students was curtailed. Chen Zhiwen, a member of the Chinese Society of Educational Development Strategy, said that Chinese students contribute significantly to research productivity and academic exchanges on US campuses, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, as well as among postgraduate students. A decline in the number of Chinese students due to visa policies could have an impact on academic output in US higher education, Chen said. Chinese universities could benefit from this in the long term, as students who planned to study in the US may instead enrol in top domestic institutions, boosting China's academic and research environment, he added. "Since 2018, the proportion of Tsinghua University graduates pursuing overseas studies has shown a declining trend," he said, adding that the trend could usher in a more multipolar higher education system, reducing the US' historical dominance. - China Daily/ANN
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
UAE universities on the rise in world education rankings as Harvard leads way
UAE universities have risen up the rankings in a new global higher education league table, in which the US's under-fire Harvard cemented top spot for the 14th consecutive year. Abu Dhabi's Khalifa University led the way for the country, jumping up 30 places to 846th out of 21,462 higher education institutions assessed in the 2025 Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR), released on Monday morning. Khalifa University placed in the top 4 per cent of universities worldwide and was the 10th best in the Middle East in the annual list measured on quality of education, employability, quality of faculty and research. United Arab Emirates University climbed 91 places to 1,022 (in the top 4.8 per cent), ahead of the University of Sharjah – up 161 places to 1,092 (top 5.1 per cent) and New York University Abu Dhabi at 1,116 (top 5.2 per cent). The CWUR referred to the strong research performance of the universities as being central to their move up the rankings. Nadim Mahassen, president of the CWUR, hailed the significant progress being made by UAE universities. 'With four of its institutions in the rankings, the United Arab Emirates is well represented among the world's top universities," he said. "Further financial backing, and placing the development of education and science higher on its agenda, will allow the country to be even more competitive in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape." King Abdullah University of Science and Technology was the top performer in the region, moving up to 237th from 249th position last year. Fellow Saudi institution King Abdulaziz University broke into the 250, rising from 254th to 249th. UAE makes its mark Senthil Nathan, managing director and co-founder of Edu Alliance, a UAE-based higher education consultancy company, said it was significant that this particular ranking places an emphasis on the success of universities in preparing students for the world of work. 'Before reflecting on any world rankings, it is essential to understand their underlying methodologies. CWUR assesses rankings without relying on surveys and university data submissions,' Mr Nathan said. 'A significant weight [50 per cent] of this ranking is given to the success of the university's alumni.' Mr Nathan – a former deputy vice chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi – said the CWUR considers the average number of former students who have held top positions at the world's largest 2,000 public companies since 2011. This performance indicator will frustrate some newer universities, such as those in the Emirates. 'The improvement in the rankings of four of the universities in the UAE is commendable," he said. "On a first glance, their CWUR ranking may seem lower as compared to their ranking in other systems. 'However, this is mainly because of the way CWUR measures success of the alumni. Khalifa University and NYUAD are relatively young universities and have been graduating students only for less than 15 years.' The UAE government has taken significant steps to drive up higher education standards in recent years in an effort to compete with the world's best seats of learning. In June 2024, the UAE set out plans for local universities to be subjected to regular assessments and clustered based on performance. Both public and private higher education institutions are included in the assessment, with rankings based on factors including teaching quality and student life, employability, scientific research and international collaboration. Recognition for troubled Harvard The Ivy League Harvard University, which is the subject of a controversial plan by the Trump administration to prevent it enrolling foreign students, topped the rankings once again. Washington has accused the Ivy League university of not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism and change its admissions practices – allegations the university has strongly denied. Harvard said the proposed ban is a 'blatant violation' of the law and free speech rights. Harvard was joined in the top three by two other US universities, MIT and Stanford, with the UK's world renowned Cambridge and Oxford making up the top five. While US universities make up the rest of the top 10, Mr Mahassen said this dominance was not reflected in the wider global top 2,000 and points to potential challenges ahead as academic competition hots up and universities face up to funding cuts. 'While the United States still boasts the top universities in the world, the decline of the vast majority of its higher education institutions should be of concern to US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and the wider Trump administration," he said. 'At a time when Chinese universities are reaping the rewards of years of generous financial support from their government, American institutions are grappling with slashed federal funding and disputes over academic freedom and free speech. 'With the United States surpassed by China as the country with the most representatives in the rankings, its reputation in the global higher education sector is under serious threat. 'The sharp decline of US universities parallels that of institutions in Japan, France, and Germany, while UK and Russian universities have fared only slightly better. With the extraordinary rise of Chinese institutions, universities in the Western world cannot afford to stand still and rest on their laurels.'
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
UM leads in latest rankings amid global competition
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's oldest varsity continues to hold its spot as the nation's top-ranked higher education institution in global rankings. Universiti Malaya (UM) is ranked first among nine Malaysian institutions featured in the 2025 edition of the Global 2000 list by the Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR). However, on the global stage, UM dropped 12 spots from last year to the 411th position - due to declines in employability and research indicators. Only a third of the Malaysian universities in this year's Global 2000 list improved their positions from last year. The universities that improved are Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, which climbed 10 spots to 810th; Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, which rose 13 spots to 1,738th; and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, which entered the list at 1,913th place. The primary reason for the overall decline in rankings is weaker research performance, amid intensifying global competition from well-funded institutions. The other five Malaysian universities in the Global 2000 are Universiti Sains Malaysia (785th), Universiti Putra Malaysia (845th), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (853rd), Universiti Teknologi Mara (1,581st), and the International Islamic University Malaysia (1,675th). CWUR president Dr Nadim Mahassen said without stronger funding and strategic planning, Malaysia risks falling further behind in the rapidly evolving global academic landscape. "While Malaysia has nine representatives among the world's top universities, what is alarming is the slide of the nation's academic institutions due to weakening research performance and limited financial backing from the government. "At a time when several countries are placing the development of education and science high on their agenda, Malaysia is struggling to keep pace," he said. CWUR's Global 2000 list is the only university performance table that measures the quality of education, employability, faculty quality, and research without relying on surveys and university data submissions. For this year's edition, CWUR analysed 74 million outcome-based data points to rank universities worldwide. Out of 21,462 universities evaluated, the top performers were included in the Global 2000 list - representing institutions from 94 countries. For the 14th year in a row, Harvard University ranks first globally, followed by two other private institutions in the United States - the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University. The University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom - ranked fourth and fifth, respectively - are the world's highest-ranking public universities. Asia's top five universities this year are the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University and Peking University. Based in the United Arab Emirates, the CWUR is a consulting organisation providing policy advice, strategic insights and consulting services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes. The full rankings, released on Monday (June 2), can be found at
