Ranking comparison tool
Compare Chinese university rankings
Ten years of QS, ShanghaiRanking (ARWU) and Times Higher Education positions for the universities we cover, side by side. Lower is better.
QS World University Rankings — 2026 edition
Ranking positions for all universities profiled on this site. Positions shown as bands are published as bands.
| # | University | QS 2026 | City | Groups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peking University | 14 | Beijing | C9 League |
| 2 | Tsinghua University | 17 | Beijing | C9 League |
| 3 | Fudan University | 30 | Shanghai | C9 League |
| 4 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 47 | Shanghai | C9 League |
| 5 | Zhejiang University | 49 | Hangzhou | C9 League |
| 6 | Nanjing University | 103 | Nanjing | C9 League |
| 7 | University of Science and Technology of China | 133 | Hefei | C9 League |
| 8 | Tongji University | 184 | Shanghai | Project 985 |
| 9 | Wuhan University | 186 | Wuhan | Project 985 |
| 10 | Harbin Institute of Technology | 241 | Harbin | C9 League |
| 11 | Tianjin University | 262 | Tianjin | Project 985 |
| 12 | Beijing Normal University | 263 | Beijing | Project 985 |
| 13 | Southern University of Science and Technology | 275 | Shenzhen | Double First Class |
| 14 | Xi'an Jiaotong University | 281 | Xi'an | C9 League |
| 15 | Beijing Institute of Technology | 292 | Beijing | Project 985 |
| 16 | Shandong University | 309 | Jinan | Project 985 |
| 17 | Huazhong University of Science and Technology | 315 | Wuhan | Project 985 |
| 18 | Sun Yat-sen University | 321 | Guangzhou | Project 985 |
| 19 | Sichuan University | 327 | Chengdu | Project 985 |
| 20 | Xiamen University | 355 | Xiamen | Project 985 |
| 21 | South China University of Technology | 375 | Guangzhou | Project 985 |
| 22 | Nankai University | 377 | Tianjin | Project 985 |
| 23 | Southeast University | 415 | Nanjing | Project 985 |
| 24 | Central South University | 415 | Changsha | Project 985 |
| 25 | Dalian University of Technology | 437 | Dalian | Project 985 |
| 26 | Beihang University | 441 | Beijing | Project 985 |
| 27 | University of Electronic Science and Technology of China | 441 | Chengdu | Project 985 |
| 28 | Shanghai University | 471 | Shanghai | Project 211 |
| 29 | Jilin University | 486 | Changchun | Project 985 |
| 30 | East China Normal University | 486 | Shanghai | Project 985 |
| 31 | Zhengzhou University | 501 | Zhengzhou | Project 211 |
| 32 | Northwestern Polytechnical University | 531 | Xi'an | Project 985 |
| 33 | Renmin University of China | 601 | Beijing | Project 985 |
Source: Quacquarelli Symonds — https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings. Compilations such as this one can lag a publisher's revisions; verify the current figure at source.
Compare selected universities side by side
Pick up to six universities. The comparison covers the three most recent ranking editions, tuition and application information.
| University | QS 2026 | ARWU 2026 | THE 2026 | Founded | City | International students | Application fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peking University | 14 | 22 | 13 | 1898 | Beijing | 3,800 | CNY 800 (non-refundable) |
| Tsinghua University | 17 | 18 | 12 | 1911 | Beijing | 4,100 | CNY 600 (non-refundable) |
| Fudan University | 30 | 41 | 36 | 1905 | Shanghai | 3,200 | CNY 600 (CNY 800 for MBA) |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 47 | 30 | 40 | 1896 | Shanghai | 3,500 | CNY 600 |
| Zhejiang University | 49 | 24 | 39 | 1897 | Hangzhou | 5,600 | CNY 400–600 |
Ranking trend
Peking University
Tsinghua University
Fudan University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Zhejiang University
How to read these rankings
QS weights academic reputation surveys (30%), employer reputation (15%), faculty–student ratio, citations per faculty, and international faculty and student ratios. It rewards internationally mixed, reputation-rich institutions, which is why it can underrate research-dense Chinese engineering universities.
ARWU (ShanghaiRanking) is the most objective and the most research-driven: Nobel and Fields medals among alumni and staff, highly cited researchers, papers in Nature and Science, papers indexed in SCIE and SSCI, and per-capita academic performance. It measures research output almost exclusively.
Times Higher Education combines teaching environment, research volume and income, citations, international outlook and industry income, and is the most balanced of the three. It is also the ranking in which Chinese universities have risen fastest.
A university that ranks far better in ARWU than in QS is typically research-strong but less internationally mixed. A university that ranks better in QS than ARWU is usually more international and better at employer reputation. Neither pattern tells you which university teaches better — for that, look at the specific department, the programme language and the outcomes of its graduates.