MANILA, Philippines – Sixteen schools in 6 Southeast Asian countries made it to the top 100 of the 2019 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings released Wednesday, October 24.

Only Singapore had academic institutions in the top 10, as the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University ranked 1st and 3rd, respectively.

Among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia had the most number of schools in the top 100, with 6 universities. Singapore and Indonesia followed, with 3 universities each.

Meanwhile, Thailand has two universities on the list while the Philippines and Brunei had one school each.

The following are the ASEAN universities in the top 100:

A total of 39 schools from 7 ASEAN countries made it to the top 300 of the annual rankings:

BRUNEI

100. Universiti Brunei Darussalam
=181. Universiti Teknologi Brunei

INDONESIA

130. Bogor Agricultural University
199. Airlangga University
225. Universitas Padjadjaran
229. Institute of Technology Sepuluh
251-260. Bina Nusantara University
271-280. Diponegoro University
301-350. University of Brawijaya

MALAYSIA

=128. Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM)
=135. Taylor’s University
=137. Universiti Teknologi MARA – UiTM
143. International Islamic University Malaysia
=175. Multimedia University
=178. UCSI University
=188. Universiti Malaysia Pahang
=188. Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
=201. Universiti Malaysia Perlis
206. Universiti Malaysia Sabah
=232. Sunway University
=234. Universiti Tenaga Nasional
236. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
271-280. Management and Science University
291-300. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

PHILIPPINES

115. Ateneo de Manila University
155. De La Salle University
162. University of Santo Tomas

SINGAPORE

78. Singapore Management University

THAILAND

108. Thammasat University
=130. Kasetsart University
=148. Khon Kaen University
=153. King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi
=156. Prince of Songkla University
251-260. King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
291-300. Suranaree University of Technology

VIETNAM

=124. Vietnam National University, Hanoi
144. Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City
261-270. Hanoi University of Science and Technology
291-300. Ton Duc Thang University

Why this matters: Education is one of the key issues in the ASEAN regional integration, under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community pillar. 

One goal of ASEAN integration is to facilitate the flow of nationals from ASEAN countries to work and study abroad. ASEAN universities also work together to enhance cooperation as well as foster the exchange of students in the region. 

In a Rappler Talk during the ASEAN Summit in Manila in 2017, Ronald Mendoza, dean of the Ateneo School of Government, said regional integration would open opportunities for students to learn more outside their countries. 

“They will be much more capable than ours will ever be because of the limitations of what we grew up with…. When you open up to something like this, and you have a vision of what that can do especially to your young people, its going to make them a lot stronger,” he said. – Rappler.com