Asia is the world’s largest and most diverse continent, and many of its countries are home to influential and fast-growing economies. Across the region, universities offer international students a wide range of English-medium and English-taught courses, often alongside strong research opportunities, multicultural communities, and distinctive cultural, culinary, and architectural heritage. Studying in Asia can help international students build intercultural skills, expand their professional networks, and strengthen their resumes.
With that in mind, we discuss below some of the best English-taught universities in Asia.
Top Universities for English-taught Programs in Asia
1. Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University is among the best English-taught universities in Asia and is one of China’s leading public research universities in Beijing. Established in 1911, the university has a long history of shaping China’s academic and industrial development through high-quality tertiary education and research. Tsinghua is especially well known for engineering and computer science, while also having a strong reputation in politics, business, academia, and culture. Its notable alumni include Xi Jinping, who studied chemical engineering at Tsinghua from 1975 to 1979 and became President of the People’s Republic of China in 2013.
In current rankings, Tsinghua University is ranked 17th in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and 9th in the QS Asian University Rankings. The university also reports that it ranked 6th globally and 1st in Asia in the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022. These rankings reflect Tsinghua’s commitment to cultivating global leaders and contributing to economic and social development in China and around the world.
The university is also recognized for its campus, which is located on the former site of the Qing Dynasty imperial gardens and combines traditional Chinese landscaping with Western-style architecture. Tsinghua offers undergraduate English-taught programs as well as master’s and doctoral programs taught in English, including many graduate options in engineering and the natural sciences.
2. Hong Kong University
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is a major public research university in Hong Kong. Although it was formally founded in 1911, its historical roots trace back to 1887, when the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese was established. HKU is Hong Kong’s oldest current institution of higher education. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, HKU is ranked 11th globally and 1st in the QS Asian University Rankings.
The university is known as one of Hong Kong’s leading research-driven institutions. In 2025, 54 HKU academics were named Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers, and the university reported 232 scholars among the world’s top 1% by citations. HKU also maintains more than 380 exchange partnerships across 46 countries. In the 2025/26 academic year, HKU enrolled 25,051 non-local students, and its student community represented 97 countries and regions.
English is HKU’s medium of instruction. Across its ten faculties, English is used for teaching in most disciplines, with exceptions mainly for Chinese language and literature-related courses.
3. National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University (NTU) is Taiwan’s flagship public research university in Taipei. Its predecessor, Taihoku Imperial University, was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule in Taiwan. It began with two colleges: the Faculty of Literature and Politics and the Faculty of Science and Agriculture. After World War II and Taiwan’s retrocession in 1945, the Government of the Republic of China took over the institution and renamed it National Taiwan University.
NTU is one of Taiwan’s most internationally connected universities. It has 17 colleges, 61 departments, and 152 graduate institutes, offering up to 8,000 courses each semester. The university reports more than 7,000 international students and has partner institutions in 70 countries, with 936 partner institutions listed by its Office of International Affairs. In the QS World University Rankings 2026, NTU is ranked 63rd globally and 23rd in the QS Asian University Rankings.
The language of instruction at NTU depends on the chosen program and the student’s Chinese-language ability. NTU offers English-taught undergraduate and graduate programs through its International College and selected departments, so students should check the language of instruction for each program before applying.
4. Universiti of Malaya
Universiti Malaya (UM), also known as the University of Malaya, is Malaysia’s oldest university and one of the country’s leading public research universities. Its historical roots trace back to 1905, when its predecessor, King Edward VII College of Medicine, was established. In 1949, King Edward VII College of Medicine merged with Raffles College to form Universiti Malaya. Due to the institution’s rapid growth, autonomous divisions were established in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in 1959.
After legislation was passed in 1961, the Kuala Lumpur campus became Universiti Malaya on January 1, 1962. UM is Malaysia’s top-ranked university in the QS World University Rankings 2026, where it is placed 58th globally and 15th in the QS Asian University Rankings. The university conducts all academic programs in English unless otherwise specified, although some programs in selected faculties are taught in other languages. UM offers 80 bachelor’s degree programs and around 150 postgraduate programs.
5. Hokkaido University
Hokkaido University is one of Japan’s leading comprehensive universities. It was founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, one of Japan’s earliest modern educational institutions, and later evolved into Hokkaido University. Today, it offers a broad range of disciplines through 12 undergraduate schools and 21 graduate schools.
In current QS rankings, Hokkaido University is ranked 170th in the QS World University Rankings 2026 and 42nd in the QS Asian University Rankings. The university was also listed among Reuters’ Top 100 World’s Most Innovative Universities in 2018 and ranked 28th in the Asia-Pacific region in Reuters’ 2019 list.
Hokkaido University is among the best English-taught universities in Asia and offers English-taught options at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Its undergraduate options include the Modern Japanese Studies Program and the Integrated Science Program, while its graduate options include eight English-medium degree programs in fields such as agriscience, engineering, environmental science, life science, and science.
We hope you found this article on the best English-taught universities in Asia informative and helpful. To learn more, check out the Available Programs for International Students!
