Global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released its World University Rankings 2025 yesterday, with the public University of Macau (UM) ranked 245th, up from 254th last year, and the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) rising from 505th to 464th.
The latest QS rankings cover about 1,500 universities, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States topping the list for the 13th consecutive year, Imperial College London rising to second place and the University of Oxford in third place.
Meanwhile, Peking University (PKU) and Tsinghua University rose to 14th and 20th respectively, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) rose to 17th from 26th, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) rose to 36th.
The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) said in a statement yesterday that the number of students in Macau’s higher education institutions has increased by 60 percent from approximately 34,000 in the 2018/2019 academic year to approximately 55,500 in the 2023/2024 academic year.
Meanwhile, the proportion of postgraduate students has steadily grown from 25.53 percent in the 2018/2019 academic year to 39 percent in the 2023/2024 academic year, the statement said.
In addition, the number of higher education programmes has also risen from about 280 in the 2018/2019 academic year to over 360 in the 2023/2024 academic year, the statement noted.
The government has continued to support local universities in optimising their disciplinary distribution, focusing efforts on the development of scientific research and strengthening international and regional cooperation, with a view to offering diversified programmes and cultivating industrial talents required for the development of appropriately diversifying the city’s economy based on its “1+4” model, the statement underlined.
The “1+4” strategy aims to reinforce Macao’s function as the “One Centre” for integrated tourism and leisure, officially known as the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, while facilitating the development of four emerging industries: the “Big Health” industry; modern financial services; high and new technology; and conventions, exhibitions, sports, and the commercial and trade industries.
In response to social development trends and industrial development needs, higher education institutions in Macau will continue to launch a number of degree programmes in disciplines related to big health, modern finance, high-tech, conventions and exhibitions, as well as culture and sport, among others, at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels.
This image captured from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) last night shows the latest World University Rankings of University of Macau (UM) and the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST).
