Chinese university rankings 2027: QS, THE, ARWU and Leiden

33 of our partner universities appear in at least one world ranking; 17 are in the QS 2027 top 500. The table shows the four rankings side by side.

Last updated: 21 October 2026

#	University	QS 2027	THE 2027	ARWU 2026	Leiden 2025	Bachelor's programmes	In English
1	Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)Shanghai	36	39	27	2	74	13
2	Nanjing UniversityNanjing	=90	59	70	33	52	—
3	Wuhan UniversityWuhan	=165	=121	77	16	118	12
4	Tianjin University (TJU)Tianjin	=235	=196	98	19	80	13
5	Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing	=237	125	101–150	126	33	—
6	Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT)Beijing	243	234	101–150	53	54	8
7	Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU)Xi'an	=296	=196	79	8	50	6
8	Sichuan UniversityChengdu	=300	=224	77	4	71	6
9	Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)Wuhan	307	=191	72	6	46	5
10	Shandong UniversityJinan	=309	=263	101–150	15	20	6
11	Nankai UniversityTianjin	=329	=173	101–150	116	41	—
12	Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU/NWPU)Xi'an	=425	=224	151–200	43	14	11
13	Shanghai University (SHU)Shanghai	=443	501–550	301–400	123	79	7
14	University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB)Beijing	=443	—	201–300	78	52	2
15	Dalian University of TechnologyDalian	=463	326–350	151–200	35	49	9
16	China Agricultural UniversityBeijing	=477	—	151–200	99	31	—
17	University of Electronic Science & Technology of China (UESTC)Chengdu	=488	351–375	151–200	52	14	3
18	China University of PetroleumBeijing	=600	—	—	—	22	5
19	Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT)Beijing	=649	551–600	201–300	204	45	6
20	China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT)Xuzhou	=659	—	401–500	68	45	3
21	East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST)Shanghai	=670	551–600	201–300	155	64	6
22	Nanjing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics (NUAA)Nanjing	721–730	651–700	201–300	83	7	7
23	Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU)Beijing	771–780	—	401–500	213	53	7
24	Xidian UniversityXi'an	851–900	601–650	301–400	144	20	3
25	Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU)Chengdu	851–900	701–800	301–400	131	36	8
26	Nanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjing	901–950	—	201–300	172	66	—
27	Beijing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsBeijing	1001–1200	—	601–700	308	17	1
28	Central China Normal University (CCNU)Wuhan	1201–1400	—	501–600	602	31	—
29	Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU)Beijing	1201–1400	—	—	—	32	10
30	Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE)Shanghai	1201–1400	—	—	—	12	2
31	Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)Shanghai	1401+	—	—	—	32	—
32	University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)Beijing	1401+	—	—	—	24	7
33	Northeastern University (Shenyang)Shenyang	—	451–500	201–300	61	73	1

"=" means a tied rank; bands (e.g. 151–200) are as published by the ranking. — means not listed.

What do the rankings measure?

QS World University Rankings

Ranks more than 1,500 universities on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty and internationalisation.

Times Higher Education (THE)

Ranks more than 2,000 institutions on teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.

ARWU (Shanghai Ranking)

Based on research indicators such as Nobel and Fields prizes, highly cited researchers and Nature/Science papers.

CWTS Leiden

Based only on scientific publications; the order here is by number of Web of Science publications (P, 2020–2023).

Frequently asked questions

Which are the best universities in China?

Among our partners, the highest in QS 2027 is Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU). Looking at all four rankings together gives a better picture than any single ranking.

Which ranking matters most?

It depends on your goal: QS and THE also measure reputation and internationalisation, while ARWU and Leiden measure research strength.

How many universities are listed?

33 partner universities that appear in at least one of the four rankings.

Not sure where to start?

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