Top Universities in Asia for Arts & Humanities 2014

To find out the top universities in Asia for arts and humanities in 2017, you can check our subject ranking here and narrow the results down to show only Asian universities. 

The QS University Rankings: Asia is designed to provide insights into the performance of top universities in Asia, based on nine indicators. In addition, QS also analyses data gathered from its major global survey of academics to identify the top universities in Asia for specific subject areas, as rated by academic staff worldwide. Below are this year’s Asian institutions with the strongest reputation in the arts and humanities segment of the international academic community. (To see how this compares to last year’s results, see the top universities in Asia for arts and humanities in 2013).

1. The University of Tokyo

‘Todai’, more formally known as the University of Tokyo, is not only number one in Asia for arts and humanities in the eyes of academics, but it also boasts the region’s strongest academic reputation in all of the other subject areas assessed – with the exception of social sciences and management, where it falls into second place behind the National University of Singapore (NUS).

2. National University of Singapore (NUS)

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is rated within the three top universities in Asia in all five subject areas covered – and it’s also the overall number one in this year’s QS University Rankings: Asia, having moved up one place from last year. The Singaporean flagship institution is also the top-rated university in Asia in QS’s global survey of graduate employers.

3. Peking University                                                        

China’s Peking University claims a place within the top five universities in Asia for four out of five subject areas; the exception is engineering and technology, where it loses out to more specialized institutions, coming just outside the top 10. Overall, Peking University has one of the strongest international reputations among top universities in Asia, in the eyes of both academics and recruiters.

4. Kyoto University

Based in Japan’s old capital city of Kyoto, Kyoto University boasts a place among the top five in Asia for four out of five subject areas, and is also within the top 10 for social sciences and management. Renowned for its history and culture, Kyoto may well hold a special appeal for arts and humanities students.

5. University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Although falling one place into third position in this year’s QS University Rankings: Asia, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) remains one of the region’s most esteemed institutions. It’s rated within the Asian top five for three out of five subject categories, and comes sixth overall in both the academic and employer reputation surveys.

6. Seoul National University (SNU)

Seoul National University (SNU) retains fourth place overall in the QS University Rankings: Asia, though has been overtaken this year by compatriot KAIST. SNU remains South Korea’s highest-rated institution by both academics and employers, ranked within the top 10 in all five subject areas based on the academic survey.

7. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Rated seventh by academics in the field of arts and humanities is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). It’s also rated within Asia’s top 10 for life sciences and medicine, but in fact gets its strongest position for social sciences and management, for which it ranks sixth in Asia.

8. National Taiwan University (NTU)

Boasting the strongest international reputation among universities in Taiwan, National Taiwan University (NTU) is currently just outside of the top 20 in the overall QS University Rankings: Asia.  Scoring eighth overall in the academic reputation survey for the second year running, the National Taiwan University also comes eighth in arts and humanities and within the top 10 for both life sciences and natural sciences.

9. Tsinghua University                               

Asia’s fifth rated university in the academic reputation survey and 14^th in the Asia rankings overall, China’s Tsinghua University makes it into Asia’s top 10 across all five subject areas. Its highest rating comes in the field of engineering and technology, for which it’s currently rated third in Asia.

10. Fudan University

Last but not least, Fudan University, based in Shanghai, China, places 10^th in Asia for its arts and humanities programs according to academics. In the overall academic reputation survey, it just misses out on the top 10, but has an even stronger reputation among employers, standing at eighth in Asia in the global employer survey.

Top 50 universities in Asia for arts & humanities, 2014

About the QS University Rankings: Asia

Published annually since 2009, the QS University Rankings: Asia ranks the top 300 universities in Asia. The ranking is based on nine indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, research papers per faculty member, citations per paper, international diversity of faculty, international diversity of students, inbound student exchange and outbound student exchange.