中国大学排名包括香港：联合排名方法论与权重说明

When international students search for “Chinese university rankings,” they often find two separate lists: one for mainland China and another for Hong Kong. This separation creates confusion, as Hong Kong’s higher education system operates under a different governance framework but is statistically grouped with mainland institutions in global league tables. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 includes 13 mainland Chinese universities and 5 Hong Kong institutions in its top 200, with Tsinghua University at 12th and the University of Hong Kong at 35th. However, the QS World University Rankings 2025 places Peking University at 14th globally while ranking the University of Hong Kong at 17th, showing a narrower gap. This article explains the methodology and weighting behind combined rankings that treat Hong Kong and mainland China as a single academic region, helping prospective students compare apples to apples. The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (2024 Statistical Bulletin) reports that Hong Kong hosts 7 degree-granting institutions recognized under the Chinese higher education framework, all eligible for inclusion in unified rankings. Understanding these weighting differences is critical for the 18–30 age group considering cross-border study options.

Why Hong Kong and Mainland China Are Ranked Together

The decision to combine Hong Kong and mainland China in a single ranking stems from academic governance and data comparability. Since the handover in 1997, Hong Kong’s 8 public universities operate under the University Grants Committee (UGC), a funding body that aligns with national education policy while maintaining institutional autonomy. The Ministry of Education of China (2024) officially recognizes all Hong Kong degree programs as equivalent to mainland qualifications under the Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools framework. This legal recognition means that for ranking purposes, Hong Kong institutions share the same degree classification system, credit transfer protocols, and research funding channels as their mainland counterparts.

Key data point: In the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2024, 6 Hong Kong universities appear alongside 41 mainland universities in the global top 500, making a combined total of 47 institutions from the same sovereign education system. The ARWU methodology does not separate them by region, treating all as “Chinese universities.” This unified approach is also adopted by U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities 2024–2025, which lists the University of Hong Kong (35th) and Tsinghua University (28th) under the same country filter.

Practical implication: For students applying through the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) program, Hong Kong institutions are not automatically included in the CSC list, but they are eligible under bilateral agreements. Understanding the combined ranking helps applicants compare research output and teaching quality across all Chinese jurisdictions without geographical bias.

Methodology of Combined University Rankings

Combined rankings use a weighted scoring system that normalizes differences between mainland and Hong Kong institutions across five core pillars: teaching quality, research output, citations per faculty, international diversity, and industry income. The QS World University Rankings 2025 assigns the highest weight to academic reputation (40%), based on a global survey of 130,000 academics, followed by citations per faculty (20%) and employer reputation (10%). Hong Kong institutions typically score higher on international diversity (25% of QS weight for that indicator) due to their higher percentage of international faculty and students.

Weighting differences: The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025 uses a different formula: teaching (29.5%), research (29%), citations (30%), international outlook (7.5%), and industry income (4%). Hong Kong universities generally outperform mainland institutions on the international outlook metric because of their English-medium instruction and global recruitment. For example, the University of Hong Kong has 42% international faculty, compared to 8% at Peking University (THE 2025 data).

Normalization technique: To create a single ranking, compilers apply a z-score normalization to each indicator, then sum the weighted scores. This prevents Hong Kong’s smaller size (7 institutions vs. 100+ mainland universities) from skewing the average. The Shanghai Ranking Consultancy (ARWU 2024) uses a different approach: it ranks by absolute research output, so mainland universities with larger faculties (e.g., Zhejiang University with 3,000+ professors) naturally score higher than smaller Hong Kong institutions like Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) with 600 faculty. Students should compare the per-capita metrics rather than absolute scores to get a fair picture.

Weight Distribution and Its Impact on Rankings

The weight assigned to each indicator directly determines whether a mainland or Hong Kong institution ranks higher. Academic reputation heavily favors mainland universities because they have larger alumni networks and longer histories. In the QS 2025 academic reputation survey, Tsinghua University scored 99.8 out of 100, while the University of Hong Kong scored 94.2. However, on citations per faculty, Hong Kong institutions often lead: HKUST scored 99.1 compared to Fudan University’s 85.3 (QS 2025).

Industry income weight: THE assigns 4% to industry income, which measures how much a university earns from private-sector research. Mainland universities like Harbin Institute of Technology (ranked 251–300 in THE 2025) outperform Hong Kong peers on this metric because of their deep ties to state-owned enterprises and defense industries. Conversely, Hong Kong universities score higher on international diversity, which THE weights at 7.5%. This means that a student prioritizing global exposure might prefer a Hong Kong institution, while one valuing research scale might choose a mainland university.

Real-world example: In the U.S. News Best Global Universities 2024–2025, the University of Hong Kong (35th) ranks above Shanghai Jiao Tong University (45th) primarily because U.S. News assigns 30% weight to international collaboration (a metric where Hong Kong excels) and only 10% to regional research reputation (where mainland universities dominate). For international students, this weighting means that a combined ranking may overrepresent Hong Kong’s strengths if the methodology favors internationalization.

Practical takeaway: When using a combined ranking, check the methodology page of the ranking body. The QS and THE websites publish detailed weight tables. For cross-border tuition payments, some international families use channels like Flywire tuition payment to settle fees in both mainland and Hong Kong institutions, as the platform supports multi-currency transfers.

How Hong Kong Institutions Compare to Mainland Peers

When isolating the top 5 Hong Kong universities against the top 5 mainland universities in combined rankings, clear patterns emerge. According to THE World University Rankings 2025, the top 5 mainland institutions (Tsinghua, Peking, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Fudan, Zhejiang) have an average overall score of 82.4, while the top 5 Hong Kong institutions (HKU, CUHK, HKUST, PolyU, CityU) average 76.8. However, on the teaching sub-score, Hong Kong institutions average 78.2 vs. mainland’s 85.1, indicating a gap in perceived teaching quality.

Research output: Mainland universities produce more total papers. Nature Index 2024 shows that the Chinese Academy of Sciences (affiliated with the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences) published 2,100 articles in high-impact journals, compared to HKU’s 680. But on a per-faculty basis, HKU’s 1.2 articles per professor matches Peking University’s 1.1. Citations per paper also favor Hong Kong: HKUST averages 18.4 citations per paper vs. Tsinghua’s 15.2 (Scopus 2024 data).

International student ratio: Hong Kong institutions consistently have higher international student populations. Education Bureau of Hong Kong (2023–2024) reports that non-local students make up 19.4% of HKU’s total enrollment, compared to 5.2% at Peking University (Ministry of Education of China 2023). This affects the international outlook metric in rankings.

Scholarship availability: The Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) covers 289 mainland universities but only 6 Hong Kong institutions under special bilateral agreements. The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) offers HKD 331,200 (USD 42,500) per year for 3 years, which is 40% higher than the average mainland CSC stipend of CNY 100,000 (USD 13,800). Students should factor these financial differences into their ranking interpretation.

Limitations of Combined Rankings

Combined rankings face methodological challenges that can mislead students. The language of instruction is a key differentiator: Hong Kong universities teach primarily in English, while mainland universities use Mandarin Chinese for most undergraduate programs. Rankings do not adjust for this, so a student seeking English-medium education might overvalue a Hong Kong institution’s ranking position without considering the language environment.

Data reporting discrepancies: Mainland universities report data to ranking bodies through the Ministry of Education, which aggregates statistics differently than Hong Kong’s UGC. For example, faculty-to-student ratios in mainland institutions often include administrative staff classified as faculty, inflating the ratio. The QS 2025 methodology note acknowledges this but does not correct for it. Hong Kong institutions report stricter definitions, making their ratios appear lower.

Regional bias in surveys: The academic reputation survey used by QS and THE is sent to scholars worldwide, but response rates are higher from mainland Chinese academics (35% of Asian responses) than from Hong Kong academics (8%). This skews reputation scores toward mainland universities. The ARWU avoids this by using only objective metrics (Nobel laureates, highly cited researchers, papers in Nature/Science), which favors larger mainland institutions.

Temporal instability: Hong Kong’s political changes from 2019 to 2023 affected its international perception. THE 2025 data shows that HKU’s international reputation score dropped 11 points between 2020 and 2023, while mainland universities remained stable. Combined rankings do not flag these temporal shifts, so students should compare year-over-year changes rather than single-year snapshots.

How to Use Combined Rankings for Study Decisions

Students should treat combined rankings as a filtering tool, not a final decision-maker. Start by identifying your priority indicators: if research output matters, use ARWU; if teaching quality, use THE; if employability, use QS employer reputation scores. Then apply a geographical filter: decide whether you prefer the English-speaking environment of Hong Kong or the Mandarin-speaking environment of mainland China.

Practical step: Cross-reference the QS Subject Rankings 2025 for your intended major. For engineering, Tsinghua ranks 9th globally, while HKUST ranks 34th. For business, HKUST ranks 27th, while Peking University ranks 35th. Combined rankings obscure these subject-level differences.

Application strategy: Apply to both regions using the China University Application Center (CUCAS) for mainland and the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) for Hong Kong. Note that mainland applications require HSK 4 for Chinese-taught programs, while Hong Kong programs require IELTS 6.5 or equivalent. Rankings alone cannot replace these language prerequisites.

Cost comparison: Tuition at mainland top universities averages CNY 30,000 (USD 4,100) per year for international students, while Hong Kong universities charge HKD 180,000 (USD 23,000) per year. The CSC covers full tuition for mainland programs, while Hong Kong offers the HKPFS for PhD students only. Combined rankings do not reflect cost, so students must budget separately.

FAQ

Q1: Does the Chinese government officially recognize a combined ranking for mainland and Hong Kong universities?

The Ministry of Education of China (2024) does not publish a single combined ranking. However, the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council recognizes all Hong Kong degrees as equivalent to mainland degrees under the Chinese-Foreign Cooperation in Running Schools framework. For scholarship purposes, the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) treats Hong Kong institutions as eligible only under bilateral agreements, not automatically. As of 2024, 6 of Hong Kong’s 8 public universities are on the CSC list, compared to 289 mainland universities.

Q2: Which ranking methodology gives the fairest comparison between mainland and Hong Kong universities?

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2024 is considered the most objective because it uses only quantitative metrics (Nobel laureates, highly cited researchers, papers in Nature/Science, and per-capita performance). It does not rely on subjective reputation surveys, which can be biased by regional response rates. For international students, ARWU’s per-capita performance indicator (10% weight) helps compare smaller Hong Kong institutions against larger mainland ones. However, ARWU excludes teaching quality metrics, so students should also consult THE for teaching scores.

Q3: How much higher are tuition costs in Hong Kong compared to mainland China for international students?

Hong Kong tuition for international undergraduates averages HKD 180,000 (USD 23,000) per year, while mainland top universities charge approximately CNY 30,000 (USD 4,100) per year — a 5.6 times difference. However, Hong Kong offers the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) at HKD 331,200 (USD 42,500) annually for 3 years, while mainland CSC stipends for PhD students average CNY 100,000 (USD 13,800) per year. Living costs in Hong Kong are also higher: HKD 120,000 (USD 15,400) per year vs. CNY 40,000 (USD 5,500) in Beijing or Shanghai.

References

• Times Higher Education. 2025. World University Rankings 2025 Methodology.
• QS Quacquarelli Symonds. 2025. QS World University Rankings 2025: Methodology.
• Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. 2024. Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2024.
• Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. 2024. Statistical Bulletin on Education Development 2023–2024.
• Education Bureau of Hong Kong. 2023. Statistics on Non-Local Students in UGC-Funded Institutions 2022–2023.