Data science, AI slip as 53% of Hong Kong’s university subjects fall in QS rankings

Hong Kong’s universities have recorded their sharpest declines in three years in global subject rankings, with more than half of the 266 offerings – including data science and artificial intelligence (AI) – slipping down their respective tables, according to a UK-based education analyst. Despite the overall drop, dentistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) remained second in the world – the city’s highest-ranked subject – while performing arts at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) regained 10th place, and education at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU) entered the global top 10 for the first time. According to the 2026 annual subject rankings released by British firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) on Wednesday, 141 out of the 266 – or 53 per cent – academic offerings in the city’s universities fell in the rankings, while fewer than a quarter improved. The last time a greater proportion of subjects dropped in the rankings was in 2023, when 67 per cent recorded declines. QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said competitive pressures were intensifying as other regions continued to strengthen. But he said that Hong Kong remained one of Asia’s most competitive higher education systems, distinguished not by scale but by its concentration of excellence, noting that strong fundamentals positioned the city as “a leading regional and global study destination”. “With just 10 ranked institutions, it delivers one global top-three position, five top-10 entries, 16 top-20 placements, and 85 top-50 appearances – a level of performance many far larger systems struggle to achieve,” Sowter said. “Some 56 per cent of its numerically ranked entries place in the global top 50, a ratio matched in Asia only by Singapore. Hong Kong does not compete on volume; it competes on intensity.” Notably, data science and AI in local universities saw gradual declines in rankings in the years since the subjects were jointly added to the QS list in 2024. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s offering dropped from 10th in 2024 to 17th in 2025 and 25th this year, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) declined from 19th to 28th over the past year. Polytechnic University and City University were both ranked in the top 50 last year but slipped to the 51-100 band this year. Only HKU maintained its position at 18th. In comparison, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States topped the data science and AI ranking, while the National University of Singapore rose from seventh to third, becoming Asia’s strongest institution offering the subjects. Several other disciplines also saw declines across five Hong Kong universities, including electrical and electronic engineering, mathematics, statistics and operational research, environmental sciences, English language and literature, and business and management studies. Overall, QS said 64 subjects in Hong Kong rose in the rankings, 141 dropped and 40 remained stable, while 21 were ranked for the first time, giving the city a net decline rate of 29 per cent, the second-highest in Asia behind South Korea. The British firm pointed out that Singapore was the most improved region in Asia, with more than half of its subjects jumping in the rankings, followed by India. Nanyang Technological University’s communication and media studies, and the National University of Singapore’s materials science and civil and structural engineering, were all ranked second globally. The QS rankings are based on five metrics: status among academics, employer reputation, research citations per paper, productivity and impact of the published work of scholars, and international research network. This year’s analysis covered more than 21,000 academic offerings from about 1,900 institutions across 100 countries in 55 academic disciplines and five broad faculty areas. Hong Kong has five subjects listed in the global top 10, a drop from six last year. HKU’s dentistry and education offerings were listed as second and fifth, respectively, while CUHK’s nursing programme was placed sixth. EdU’s education rose from 12th to seventh, one spot behind the University of Cambridge, and HKAPA’s performing arts shot up from 20th to 10th. QS also praised EdU as one of the city’s “most improved” institutions, achieving a net improvement rate of 33 per cent. EdU president John Lee Chi-kin called it the university’s best-ever and most historic performance. “This is a record-breaking moment for EdU. The new QS education discipline ranking reflects EdU’s international stature in teacher education, pedagogical research, and educational innovation,” he said.

Data science, AI slip as 53% of Hong Kong’s university subjects fall in QS rankings

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Despite overall drop, dentistry at HKU remains second while performing arts at HKAPA regains 10th place and education at EdU enters top 10

Despite overall drop, dentistry at HKU remains second while performing arts at HKAPA regains 10th place and education at EdU enters top 10