Media

HKU ranked 18th amongst the world's top 200 universities

08 Nov 2007

 

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has been ranked 18^th amongst the world's top 200 universities, according to the "THES-QS World University Rankings 2007" of the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) - released today (November 8).

The rankings put HKU ahead of all universities in China and Hong Kong.  It also makes HKU the 2^nd highest ranked university in Asia, just after Tokyo University.

Dr Victor Fung, Chairman of Council of HKU, said he was thrilled by the results, which have turned out to be "a dream come true" for him.

 "Five years ago, after I have taken up the chairmanship, I have been very confident that HKU had all the capabilities of becoming the top English-medium University in Asia, and should aspire to be one of the best 25 universities in the world.    The rankings today show that HKU has surpassed my expectations."

Professor Lap-Chee Tsui, HKU Vice-Chancellor attributed this to the collective efforts of the HKU family: "Without the hard work and dedication of staff, students and alumni, as well as the staunch support of donors, the Government and the wider public, HKU would not have been able to attain this exceptional level of recognition."

 "As Hong Kong aspires to be the tertiary-education hub of the Asia-Pacific Region, the fact that two universities in Hong Kong are in the top 50 of the THES rankings moves us closer to this long term goal," Professor Tsui remarked.

The THES rankings are based on six criteria, including: peer review carried out among academics, review of graduate recruiters, staff-to-student ratio, citations of academic papers, percentage of overseas staff and percentage of overseas students.

Professor Tsui said the University long-standing policy of recruiting the best staff from all parts of the world and the increasing percentage of non-local students reflected HKU's endeavour towards internationalization and a multi-cultural campus to nurture future leaders with global vision.  

The significant improvement in the peer review and review of graduate recruiters indicates that academics all over the world and international employers of university graduates are giving better recognition to HKU, continued Professor Tsui.

For details of the THES-QS Rankings (available on November 9).

For media interviews or enquiries, please contact Ms. Cherry Cheung, Senior Manager (Media) (Tel: 2859 2606 ) or Ms Denise Wong, Manager (Media), External Relations Office, HKU (Tel: 2859 2600)