The 2023 rankings of nearly 1,800 universities around the globe by the Times Higher Education magazine have come out, and Taiwan did not get a high score. Only three of Taiwan’s top universities are in the top 100, and two of the three, National Taiwan University and National Tsing Hua University, have seen their positions drop significantly over the past 10 years. Some are worried that Taiwan’s top students will decide to study abroad instead of staying in the country to pursue higher learning.
In the category of Asia University Rankings under the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, National Taiwan University has dropped from last year’s 21st place down to its current 29th place.
Hsu Kuan-tse
NTU graduate student association
If we look at it in a positive light, this indicator can certainly help us understand the performance of various universities around the world with various quantitative data. But these statistics also have their limitations. The indicators may not be able to reflect the value that universities have in promoting social progress.
Not just NTU, but National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University is now at 85th place, National Tsing Hua University at 95th, and National Cheng Kung University has dropped out of the top 100, landing at 159th place. The rankings of Taiwan’s top universities have all gone south, reflecting the woes in local higher education.
Huang I-chang
USC supply chain management graduate student
I think there are more opportunities overseas, so you’re not confined to Taiwan. Another reason for going abroad is that it can be used as a springboard, so that you can have work opportunities in America.
Tsai Wei-an
Harvard Law School student
I want to better understand Taiwan, and I want to put it in a larger structure and in a bigger map, so I can see it more clearly. I also want to know other people’s views and how they see Taiwan. That’s why I decided to leave Taiwan, so the ranking was not a deciding factor for me.
Many Taiwanese students who study abroad say that the bigger job market and the more liberal environment overseas are the reasons behind their decision to study abroad, and that university rankings are not so important. So why have Taiwan’s universities fallen behind others? Experts say that unlike the top institutions overseas, Taiwan’s universities cater mostly to undergraduates and lack graduate students who conduct research. This has led to the less-than-stellar evaluations of their research capacities.
Huang I-chang
USC supply chain management graduate student
Before I came abroad, I thought university rankings were very important, but after I came here, I realized that the rankings, especially the overall rankings, are not that important. I don’t think the drop in rankings will have much impact on students studying in Taiwan.
Tsai Wei-an
Harvard Law School student
They should try and create an open atmosphere within their limited resources there in Taiwan, so that foreign students with various backgrounds would be willing to go there, and even Taiwan’s own minority groups would be willing to stay there for study.
National Taiwan University has responded that it would continue to work hard to make improvements. It said it would advocate that the evaluation of universities should not only be based on the number of research papers produced and how much influence those papers have. Evaluations should also be based on a school’s efforts toward talent cultivation, teaching and research, as well as the contributions of its alumni to society.
