Prestigious Chinese universities have secured top global rankings in several academic disciplines, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject 2025. They placed third globally, with 1,230 subjects listed, trailing only the United States and the United Kingdom. Peking University and Tsinghua University led the way with top-three placements. Peking University’s Linguistics and Classics and Ancient History disciplines, along with Tsinghua University’s Art History and Environmental Sciences, were among the highest ranked in the latest QS rankings. Among Hong Kong institutions, the University of Hong Kong had the most top-200 placements, with 55 subjects listed. The Chinese University of Hong Kong saw significant improvement, with 43 subjects rising in the rankings. Shanghai's Fudan University also showed notable progress, with 46 subjects listed, ranking first among Chinese mainland universities in terms the total number of subjects listed.
The 15th edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject analyzed more than 1,700 universities across 100 countries and regions, covering 55 academic disciplines. The Chinese mainland saw an upward trend, with 60% of its ranked subjects improving, while only 2% declined. Nine percent remained stable, while 358 new subject entries were added.
Chinese universities demonstrated comprehensive progress across all five QS evaluation metrics, with particularly strong performance in academic reputation. Overall, the Chinese mainland recorded a 64% improvement in this category, ranking third globally. Seven of the world’s top 10 fastest-improving universities this year are from the Chinese mainland. The rankings also highlighted China’s growing research strength, particularly in the H-Index, which measures the productivity and citation impact of publications. Chinese universities topped the H-Index in 14 subjects, ranking second globally behind the United States. The University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) led in six disciplines. Engineering remained a stronghold for Chinese universities, with Tsinghua University ranking in the global top 10 across multiple engineering fields, contributing to its seventh-place ranking in the broader Engineering and Technology category, the China Daily reports.
The Global Times adds that several Chinese universities have introduced majors related to the low-altitude economy as demand for talent in the industry is rising. The Chinese government has officially recognized the low-altitude economy as an emerging industry requiring safe and sound development. Thirty provinces have already included the development of the low-altitude economy in their 2025 government work reports.
