The University of Macau (UM) and the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) have been ranked in 285th and 440th places in the QS World University Rankings 2026, published today.
UM’s current result marks a notable decline of 40 places from the 245th ranking recorded in 2023. Meanwhile, MUST’s listing represents a significant jump of 24 spots in comparison to 2023’s 464th place.
Despite the drop this year, UM’s position in the ranking has been on an upward trajectory over the past decade, with the university quickly moving from the 701-750th place segment in 2015 to 254th place in 2024. The same positive trend applies to MUST, whose ranking surged from the 701-750th place segment in 2021 to 505th place in 2024.
Both schools have also performed strongly on other lists, including the 2025 Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings, which saw UM move up by two places to 34th place. Meanwhile, MUST was positioned in 57th place, rising by 1 spot year-on-year.
MUST also gained significant ground in this year’s Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025, with its ranking rising from the 601-800th place cohort in 2024 to its current position in the 301-400th segment.
[See more: The University of Macau ranks among the world’s top 0.1 percent in key research fields]
Aside from UM and MUST, the Macao Polytechnic University also made it on the QS World University Ranking for the first time this year, earning a spot in 901-950th place.
Overall, US and UK universities dominated the QS World University Rankings 2026’s top 10 list, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) continuing its streak as the champion for the 14th straight year. The runner-up was Imperial College London, followed by Stanford University.
According to the senior vice president of QS, Ben Sowter, “the ranking highlights a shifting centre of gravity in higher education – towards Asia, which now claims the highest number of ranked universities worldwide.”
Of the more than 1,500 colleges that participated in the ranking, 565 of them were from Asia. This was followed by 487 from Europe, 358 from the Americas, 47 from Africa and 44 from Oceania.
Along with the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Ranking is regarded as one of the foremost lists of higher education institutions.
