Nankai University in the world rankings: ten years of QS, ARWU and THE explained

Nankai University is ranked 377 in the QS World University Rankings 2026, 151–200 in the ShanghaiRanking ARWU table and 181 in the Times Higher Education table. One of China's historic private-founded universities, strong in chemistry, mathematics, economics and history.

Nankai: ten-year ranking history

Figures are compiled from the published editions of each ranking. QS and THE label an edition by the year of its release cycle, while ARWU is published in August of the edition year. Where a ranking publishes a band rather than a precise position, the band is shown — an empty cell means the institution was not ranked in that edition.

What the trend shows

Its QS position is lower than a decade ago, down 62 places, which usually reflects a change in the ranking's methodology or a period of restructuring rather than a decline in research quality.

The three rankings measure different things and therefore disagree in specific years. QS weights academic reputation surveys, employer reputation and international faculty and student ratios heavily. ARWU is almost entirely research-output and prize-based, using Nobel and Fields medals, highly cited researchers, and publications in Nature and Science. THE balances research, citations, teaching environment, international outlook and industry income. A university that performs much better in ARWU than in QS, as several Chinese engineering universities do, is typically research-strong but less internationally mixed.

Which disciplines drive the position

Ranking movement in Chinese universities is driven mostly by research investment, citation impact and international recruitment. 16 national academy members. Nankai's College of Chemistry is one of the largest chemistry faculties in the world, and the School of Economics hosts the Institute of International Economics.

Where to verify the numbers

• QS World University Rankings — published by Quacquarelli Symonds: https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings
• Academic Ranking of World Universities (ShanghaiRanking) — published by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy: https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2025
• Times Higher Education World University Rankings — published by Times Higher Education: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings

A ranking is a filter, not a decision. Beyond roughly the global top 200, differences between Chinese universities are a poor guide to differences in the student experience. City, cost, programme language, supervisor and scholarship matter more, and the specific department matters most of all for postgraduate study.