NEWS
Honor
- Publish Date：2025-06-24
NYCU Rises in Global University Rankings but Eyes Deeper Global Collaboration
NYCU breaks into the QS Rankings Top 200 for the first time.
By Chance Lai
______
______
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) has continued its steady climb in international university rankings, earning global recognition for academic impact and social responsibility. However, the university acknowledges key areas where strategic focus is still needed, particularly in global academic engagement.
Upward Momentum in QS Rankings
Upward Momentum in QS Rankings
NYCU advanced 69 places in 5 years.
In the 2026 QS World University Rankings, released June 19, NYCU advanced 20 positions to reach #199 globally among 1,501 universities, marking its best performance yet and ranking #3 in Taiwan. This places the university within the top 13.3% of institutions worldwide, underscoring improvements across multiple metrics.
Highlights include:
- Citations per Faculty: +43 places, reflecting a growing research impact.
- Employment Outcomes: +31 places, showing stronger alumni visibility and industry recognition.
- Sustainability: +124 places, indicating major progress in environmental and social initiatives.
Sustainability, citations, and graduate outcomes show the most significant improvement from 2025 to 2026.Academic Reputation and International Research Network (IRN) scores declined despite this upward trend, dropping NYCU’s global position in these categories. The IRN metric, which measures the breadth of international research partnerships, fell 81 positions to #782.
“We are proud of our performance, but international academic integration remains a key priority,” said Professor Kuan-Cheng Huang, Director of the Center of Institutional Research and Data Analytics at NYCU. “Enhancing our global research collaborations and raising visibility in influential academic circles will be vital to sustaining our momentum.”
Strong Showing in THE Impact Rankings
On June 18, NYCU was ranked #41 globally in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings, which assess universities based on their alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This achievement places NYCU among the top 3 in Taiwan, alongside National Taiwan University (#14) and National Cheng Kung University. (#31).
The university earned top 100 positions in 7 SDGs, including:
- #10 in SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- #20 in SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- #22 in SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- #41 in SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
According to the report, NYCU’s performance was bolstered by strong governance practices, inclusive education policies, health-related programs, and a high share of impactful research linked to sustainability.
Challenges and Strategic Focus
Despite these achievements, NYCU’s performance in areas such as academic reputation and faculty-student ratio signals ongoing challenges in faculty internationalization and global brand awareness.
Prof. Huang suggests the following actions:
- Boosting international visibility: through collaborative research publications, academic branding, and global faculty recruitment.
- Expanding global partnerships: leveraging data analytics to identify strategic research alliances, particularly in high-impact fields.
- Investing in sustainable infrastructure: to align with global SDG practices and further improve environmental performance.
Established through the merger of Yang Ming University and Chiao Tung University in 2021, NYCU has quickly emerged as a regional leader in interdisciplinary innovation across medicine, engineering, and the social sciences. With a dual emphasis on scientific excellence and societal impact, NYCU is not only moving up in the rankings—it’s also positioning itself as a force for global good.
(Source: QS World University Rankings 2026 / THE Impact Rankings 2025, NYCU Center of Institutional Research and Data Analytics)
Related Image(s)：
