The new Aggregate Ranking of Top Universities confirms the rise of China and the strength of small research- intensive knowledge nations

The ARTU (from UNSW) “meta ranks” annual performance from the big three comprehensive rankings, Times Higher, Academic Ranking of World Universities and Quacquarelli Symonds.

In CMM this morning Nicholas Fisk and Daniel Owens (UNSW) report a decade of data demonstrates the growing strength of China in the top 100. Tsinghua and Peking universities, plus Chinese University of Hong Kong are up 20 plus places in the global first century with another four institutions joining them – Zhejiang, Shanghai Jiao Tong, University of Science and Technology of China and Fudan U.

The ARTU also records Monash U and UNSW rising 20 places in the top 100. But the big local Australian movers are outside it, UTS up 102 places and Curtin up 84 since 2014.

Overall Australia rates third in the world, behind the US and UK, but not when adjusted for population – when it is fifth, following Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Singapore.