The latest 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities was released on Aug 15, highlighting impressive progress for Chinese higher education institutions, with Shanghai-based universities showing particularly strong performance.

Launched in 2003, the ARWU is the world's first comprehensive ranking system for higher education institutions. The 2025 edition marks its 23rd release.

In the Asian-Pacific region, Tsinghua University retained its title as the top university in Asia.

Among the 1,000 leading research universities ranked worldwide, 222 are from the Chinese mainland, an increase of 19 from last year, giving it the largest representation of any country.

Thirteen mainland universities entered the global top 100, maintaining last year's strong showing and ranking second globally.

Together, the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan now have 113 universities in the global top 500, an increase of 10 from last year, the most among all regions.

Of the 101 mainland universities in the top 500, 83 are part of the Double First-Class Initiative, a national program to build world-class universities and first-class disciplines.

Shanghai's higher education sector made notable gains this year, with 14 local institutions ranking among the top 1,000, and nine of them in the global top 500.

The city's flagship universities saw significant climbs: Shanghai Jiao Tong University climbed from 38th to 30th, Fudan University from 50th to 41st, and Tongji University broke into the 101-150 bracket, up from 151-200.

East China Normal University and Shanghai University maintained their places in the 201-300 range, while East China University of Science and Technology advanced into the same tier from last year’s 301–400 group.

ShanghaiTech University and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology remained in the 301-400 range, and Donghua University entered the global top 500 for the first time, securing a spot in the 401-500 bracket.

Other local universities ranked in the top 1,000 include Naval Medical University, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Shanghai Normal University recorded the biggest leap among local institutions, advancing two tiers compared with 2024.

Overall, 15 local higher education institutions and 64 disciplines are included in the Double First-Class Initiative, underscoring Shanghai's growing role as a globally influential hub for higher education.

Source: Jiefang Daily