Best young universities in the world 2024
Explore the best universities under 50 years old using Times Higher Education’s university rankings data
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Top 10 best young universities 2024
Scroll down for the top 100 and a link to the full ranking
| Young University Rank 2024 | Young University Rank 2023 | University | Country/region |
| 1 | 1 | Nanyang Technological University, Singapore | Singapore |
| 2 | 3 | Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris | France |
| 3 | 2 | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Hong Kong |
| 4 | 6 | City University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| 5 | 12 | Université Paris-Saclay | France |
| 6 | 8 | Institut Polytechnique de Paris | France |
| 7 | 4 | Hong Kong Polytechnic University | Hong Kong |
| 8 | 15 | Sorbonne University | France |
| 9 | 14 | Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) | South Korea |
| 10 | 13 | Maastricht University | Netherlands |
When choosing which university to attend, it can be easy to get distracted by the old guard: those institutions that have been around for centuries and which dominate the upper echelons of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Names such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and Princeton spring to mind.
But many more institutions also deserve your attention. THE’s 2024 Young University Rankings reveal the best universities under 50 years old, assessing them across teaching, research, international outlook and their work with industry. In fact, the rankings were created using the same methodology as for the THE World University Rankings but the weightings have been recalibrated to reflect the missions of younger universities. The full methodology can be found here, and you can explore the top 100 universities by scrolling down.
Top five universities in the Young University Rankings 2024
1. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is one of the highest-ranked Asian institutions in the THE World University Rankings.
The university was established in 1991. Its main garden campus is in Jurong and it also has a site in Novena, Singapore’s medical district.
The university has 25,000 students from more than 100 nations. NTU also has strong ties with many institutions across the globe, including Peking University.
2. Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University Paris, France
PSL is a collegiate university formed in 2010 with the aim of becoming one of the world’s leading research universities. It was originally made up of five institutions but has since grown to incorporate 25 self-governing academic and research institutions.
PSL’s main sites are in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The university aims to boost research output from France and has developed strategic partnerships with Technion Israel Institute of Technology, among others.
3. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
HKUST consistently ranks as one of the best universities in Hong Kong as well as being in the top 100 in the world.
As its name suggests, HKUST focuses on providing students with a high-quality education within the realms of science and technology.
The university was established in 1991 and, in 2022, it introduced a scheme called HKUST 2.0, which covers its plans for development. These include the opening of a new campus in Guangzhou and ideas for how the two campuses will work together to improve teaching and learning at the institution.
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4. City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong was established in 1994.
The university has nine main schools offering courses in business, science, engineering, liberal arts, social sciences, law and veterinary medicine.
CUHK is located on an urban campus in Kowloon. There are more than 80 student clubs and societies as well as a number of sports teams.
5. Université Paris-Saclay, France
Université Paris-Saclay was formed in 2019.
The university is part of the Paris-Saclay project, which brings together nine higher education institutions and a business cluster on a research-intensive academic campus. The campus is being developed on the Plateau de Saclay on the southern outskirts of the city. This model is similar to the one adopted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, where each college keeps its independence while remaining part of the university.
The 100 best young universities 2024
Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results
See the full Young University Rankings 2024 here
Editor’s note: As part of our THE statement on Ukraine published on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.
