Chinese colleges top QS' BRICS university rankings

Chinese colleges maintained their leading positions in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings: BRICS, which was released on Wednesday by the QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a British higher education analyst firm. 

The table is designed to provide insight into the comparative performance of universities in Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa, or the BRICS nations.

Tsinghua University [File Photo: VCG]

China's Tsinghua University retains the number-one position for the fifth consecutive year since 2013, according to the QS rankings. Tsinghua is followed by Peking University (2nd), Fudan University (3rd), and University of Science and Technology of China (4th). 

Russia's Lomonosov Moscow State University is the fifth in the rankings. 

In total, 300 universities are ranked, among which 94 are Chinese, more than Russia (68), India (65), Brazil (61), and South Africa (12). 

Peking University [File Photo: VCG]

China's top universities enjoy a stronger international standing among the academic community than their counterparts in the other BRICS nations. Four Chinese universities achieve a perfect score of 100/100 for Academic Reputation, according to the QS rankings.

"Compared with other BRICS nations, Chinese universities have achieved more in research impact and talents cultivation," Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, China Director of QS Intelligence Unit, told Xinhua. 

Meanwhile, China has more potential to develop in its ratio of international faculty and international students on campus. While South African universities achieved on average 79 and 69 points for those two indicators, Chinese universities only score 53 and 45 points, according to QS.

"Chinese universities may also learn from its peers on valuable experience in creating and maintaining first-class universities management system, which in the longer term would help China to establish more comprehensive first-class universities and subjects," said Zhang.