Five subjects offered by Hong Kong tertiary education institutions were among the world’s top 10 in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject released on Wednesday.

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) retained the second top spot globally for dentistry and fifth for education and training. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) tied with the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the sixth spot in nursing.

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) ranked 7th worldwide for education and training, jumping five spots after ranking 12th last year.

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The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) also ranked 10th in performing arts, up from the 20th spot in 2025.

In Asia, HKU ranked first while EdUHK placed second for education and training. CUHK landed in sixth place. 

For nursing, CUHK and NUS shared the top spot in the region and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ranked second while HKU was in fourth place. 

HKU ranked first in Asia for dentistry while HKAPA also secured the top spot for performing arts in the region.      

Besides its high ranking globally for dentistry and education, HKU said in a statement that it also led in frontier disciplines, with data science and artificial intelligence (AI) achieving the highest ranking among Hong Kong institutions at 18th worldwide.

“This accomplishment is a collective endeavor, attributable to our distinguished faculty and diligent students. Our leading positions across science and humanities disciplines reflect the University’s all-rounded academic excellence and its commitment to pioneering interdisciplinary research,” Xiang Zhang, president and vice-chancellor of HKU, was quoted as saying in the statement.

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Out of the 51 HKU subject areas ranked, 29 were among the global top 50, with eight securing places in the top 20. They included geography (11th), architecture and built environment (14th), library and information management (15th), data science and artificial intelligence (18th), law and legal studies (20th), and civil and structural engineering (20th).

John Lee Chi-kin, president of EdUHK, said its ranking highlights EdUHK’s international standing in teacher education, research, and innovation.

“This milestone further inspires us to nurture well-rounded talents through world-class education for the betterment of Hong Kong, our nation, and the global community,” he said in a statement.

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EdUHK noted that its record ranking for education in Asia reflected a three-year upward trend. The university also secured positions in three other subject areas: linguistics ranked among the global top 200, psychology among the top 250, and sociology among the top 300. 

The 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject compared over 21,000 academic programs from more than 1,900 institutions in over 100 countries and regions, covering 55 academic subjects and five subject areas.

The ranking is based on five indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations, productivity and impact, and international research network.