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
| University | Undergraduate English-taught options | Graduate English-taught options |
|---|
| Tsinghua University | Selected English-taught bachelor’s programs are available. The article does not name specific undergraduate programs. | English-taught master’s and doctoral programs, including numerous options in engineering and the natural sciences. Applicants should confirm the instructional language of the specific program. |
| University of Hong Kong | English is the principal medium of instruction across most undergraduate disciplines. Exceptions mainly involve Chinese language, literature, and related subjects. | English is the principal medium of instruction across most master’s and doctoral programs. Applicants should check individual programs for any Chinese-language components. |
| National Taiwan University | English-taught bachelor’s options are available through the International College and selected departments. The article does not name specific programs, and the instructional language varies by degree. | Selected English-taught master’s and doctoral programs are available through the International College and individual departments. Applicants should verify whether the chosen degree is fully or partly taught in English. |
| Universiti Malaya | Bachelor’s programs are generally taught in English unless the individual program specifies another language. The article does not provide specific degree examples. | Master’s and doctoral programs are generally taught in English unless otherwise specified. Teaching languages can differ in selected faculties and programs. |
| Peking University | Future Leaders International Undergraduate Double-Degree Program at Guanghua School of Management. Students spend two years at a partner institution and two years at Peking University, where the required coursework can be completed in English. This is a partner-based double-degree pathway. | English-taught master’s options include China Studies, Chinese Law, International Relations, New Media, and management. Doctoral options include Information Science, New Media Studies, and Materials Science and Engineering, alongside English-medium research pathways at Guanghua School of Management. |
| The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Global Communication is an English-medium example whose required major courses are taught in English. University requirements include Chinese and English language components, so an English-medium major does not necessarily create an entirely English-only curriculum. | English-taught options include the MA in Gender Studies and MSc in Actuarial Science and Insurance Analytics. English-focused doctoral options include English Literary Studies and Applied English Linguistics. |
| Hokkaido University | Integrated Science Program, offering English-medium study across biology, chemistry, and physics. The Modern Japanese Studies Program begins with substantial English instruction but is bilingual and requires students to develop Japanese for later academic study. | English-medium programs are available in fields including agriscience, engineering, environmental science, life science, and science. Applicants should verify the instructional language and degree level of their chosen program. |
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.
What Current Students / Alumni of The University of Hong Kong Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | English in Practice | Local-Language Insight |
|---|
Muhammad Nusayr Bin Rahman
Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering | He reports that his classes are conducted in English. | — |
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.
What Current Students / Alumni of National Taiwan University Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | English in Practice | Local-Language Insight |
|---|
Prathama Das
Master’s in Genome and Systems Biology, jointly with Academia Sinica | Her program is fully in English, including lectures, materials, class interactions, and presentations. English-taught electives allow her to meet the required credits. | Mandarin Chinese is not academically necessary in her program; required activities offered in Chinese have English alternatives or support. |
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. Peking University
Peking University is a comprehensive research university in Beijing’s Haidian District. Founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, it was China’s first national comprehensive university. Its academic portfolio spans the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine, management, and interdisciplinary research.
The verified English-medium undergraduate option is Guanghua School of Management’s Future Leaders International Undergraduate Double-Degree Program. International students study for two years at a partner institution and spend their third and fourth years at Peking University. The PKU coursework can be completed entirely in English, with optional Chinese-taught courses, and successful participants receive degrees from PKU and their home institution. This is a partner-based pathway rather than a standard four-year international admission route.
PKU offers a broader selection at the graduate level. Examples include the two-year, English-taught Master’s in China Studies at Yenching Academy and English-medium master’s programs in Chinese Law, International Relations, New Media, and management. Verified doctoral options include the four-year Ph.D. in Information Science and English-taught Ph.D. programs in New Media Studies and Materials Science and Engineering. Guanghua also offers English-medium research master’s and integrated Ph.D. study in fields such as finance, accounting, statistics, and enterprise management.
What Current Students / Alumni of Peking University Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | English in Practice | Local-Language Insight |
|---|
Bijan Bhattarai
Doctorate in Economics | He reports that his classes were entirely in English. | He encountered no academic difficulties from not knowing Mandarin Chinese, including when accessing coursework, faculty, and academic resources. |
Oluwaseyifunmi Valentina Oladipo
Master of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health | Her MPH was conducted primarily in English, allowing full participation in lectures, discussions, presentations, and academic work. She also studied elementary Chinese. | Mandarin Chinese proficiency was unnecessary for her academic studies; she recommends basic Chinese for communication and cultural engagement, particularly for on-campus students. |
6. The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Chinese University of Hong Kong is a comprehensive research university established in 1963 and based in Sha Tin, Hong Kong. It covers arts, business, education, engineering, law, medicine, science, and social science while retaining a bilingual academic environment and a distinctive residential college system.
English-medium availability at the undergraduate level depends on the program and individual course requirements. Global Communication is a verified example whose required major courses are taught in English, and the normal undergraduate curriculum is four years. CUHK’s university core includes both Chinese Language and English Language, however, and its Registry generally certifies courses as taught in English and/or Chinese. Applicants should therefore distinguish an English-medium major from a completely English-only university curriculum.
Graduate students have clearer English-taught choices. The one-year MA in Gender Studies and one-year MSc in Actuarial Science and Insurance Analytics both identify English as their medium of instruction. Doctoral study is available through English-focused research programs such as the Ph.D. in English Literary Studies and Ph.D. in Applied English Linguistics. The former normally takes three years full-time for entrants with a research master’s or four years without one; these are normative periods rather than the longer maximum registration periods.
What Current Students / Alumni of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | English in Practice | Local-Language Insight |
|---|
Stephanie Kowinto
Integrated Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance and Business Analytics | All her classes, assessments, and academic materials are in English. | Cantonese is unnecessary for her academic studies; basic Cantonese helps with daily life and communication with the local community. |
Dulatkhan Janisbekov
Bachelor of Engineering in Information Engineering | His classes are mostly in English, with materials, assignments, exams, and textbooks in English. Professors sometimes give informal explanations in Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese. | He can complete academic work without Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese, but either language helps with daily life, local friendships, and some internships involving local clients. |
Parikshit Banerjee
Doctoral studies; subject not specified in his account | After briefly beginning a PhD at CUHK, he describes English as the main language for teaching and research and reports no serious academic language obstacles. | He found Hong Kong the easiest language transition among his experiences in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong; daily communication was generally manageable without Cantonese. |
7. 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.
What Current Students / Alumni of Hokkaido University Say
| Student/Alumnus and Program | English in Practice | Local-Language Insight |
|---|
Tanya Srivastava
MSc in Environmental Molecular Biology | She reports that her master’s program was conducted in English and advises checking individual course details. | — |
Genes P. Maylem
PhD in Biological Chemistry and Engineering | His graduate classes and research communication are conducted in English. | He reports no major academic language barriers; Japanese helps with everyday life and integration into the local community. |
We hope you found this article on the best English-taught universities in Asia informative and helpful. If you are interested, explore Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for International Students!
