Should prospective students make up their mind based on global university rankings? There is no doubt that the most well-respected global university rankings, such as Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings and Times Higher Education World University Rankings, have very well respected universities at or near the top of their lists. The University of Hong Kong (HKU), located at the heart of Asia and in one of the world’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities is fortunate in being one of these. HKU, recently dubbed the Most International University in the World”[1], is also ranked 25th in the world[2], 2nd in Asia[3] and 1st in Hong Kong[4], justifying its position as ‘Asia’s Global University’.
Global university rankings certainly serve the purpose as good references for choosing a university. However, rather than simply looking at the rankings themselves, prospective students should start looking beyond the rankings which are backed by metrics and methodologies. Learning to understand how the methodologies work helps to make an informed decision on which university to apply to. If an international university is what you are actively seeking, probe into the performance indicators behind the Most International University ranking. The reason why HKU has been ranked number one in that ranking is that it has performed well in terms of academic reputation, recruited a considerable amount of international faculty members and admitted talented international students from around the world. HKU’s extensive partner network enables students to go on exchange in 360 universities in 44 countries. 2,417 foreign students visited HKU last year. However, what is not specifically measured, and what prospective students will find the most appealing, is that, in just one year — 2017/18 – HKU students engaged in 10,464 educational activities outside Hong Kong. By 2022, HKU aims to provide 100% of its undergraduate students with at least two learning opportunities – one in Mainland China and one overseas.
Anthony Lim, a final year HKU BBA student in International Business and Global Management from Indonesia, decided to come to Hong Kong for university because of the international opportunities he sees in HKU. He probably feels that he has made the right decision because he has immersed himself in an international education where he has gone on exchange at the University of New York and competed in multiple international business case competitions representing HKU in Canada, Singapore and Norway. This is not an unusual case, and it goes some way towards explaining why graduates from HKU have had a virtually 100% employment record for every one of the last 13 years.
“Choosing HKU for my undergraduate studies allows me to go on exchange at NYU, represent HKU in international business case competitions worldwide which expanded the breadth of my knowledge. It was these international experiences that helped me secured internship positions in leading investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley”, said Anthony.
[1] Times Higher Education “Most International University Ranking” 2019
[2] QS World University Rankings 2019
[3] QS Asia University Rankings 2019
[4] QS Asia University Rankings 2019