The Top Postgraduate Study Destinations in the Asia-Pacific for 2017

Are you coming to the end of your Bachelor’s degree, and considering postgraduate study? Have you thought about where you want to study?

Postgraduate study abroad is becoming increasingly popular with students all around the globe. But one region which is certainly building its presence on the radar is the Asia-Pacific, which includes 38 diverse nations across East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Due to the area’s high-ranking universities, it’s no surprise that more and more students are flocking to the region. So, which countries offer the best opportunities?

Times Higher Education (THE) have just released their top 200 Asia-Pacific universities for 2017.

So, much as we did with our selection of Europe’s top destinations for Masters and PhD students, we’ve decided to look at some of the current hotspots for postgraduates in the Asia-Pacific.

You can find out more about the Times Higher Education Ranking here.

With a whopping 18 universities in the top 50, Australia definitely performs well in this ranking.

If you opt for this country as a study destination, you’ll certainly be in for a multicultural experience - and not just because 40% of Australia’s residents were born oversees.

There are currently just under 70,000 international students studying in Australia – now how’s that for a fellow student community?!

Australian universities are also highly research-intensive, so if you’re looking to contribute some new knowledge to your field, you could be looking in the right place.

In joint second place, we have China and South Korea, each with seven universities in the top 50.

Though next door to one another geographically, each of these countries offers a unique study experience.

China is home to the highest number of academics and biggest student population in the world. In fact, there are currently nearly 125,000 foreign students studying there.

Singapore, though much smaller in size, boasts a near 90% participation rate in tertiary education, and currently hosts just under 50,000 foreign students.

Both countries are also world-leaders in the STEM subjects. So, if you’re a budding scientist or mathematician, these could just be the destinations for you!

With six universities in the top 50, Japan stands strong in the rankings.

Similarly to Australia, Japan’s universities are big on research. And in funding terms, Japan is the third largest higher education system in the world.

There are currently approximately 133,000 international students hosted here. And, with students flocking here from regions as far as the Americas, as well as Europe and Australasia, it just goes to show how popular this destination is.

Hong Kong is close behind Japan with five universities in the top 50.

There are currently around 32,000 international students in Hong Kong, from countries across the globe. The country thus has a very multicultural feel.

Universities in Hong Kong have achieved disciplinary strength across all fields; which reflects the country’s partial routes in British higher education tradition.

So, whether you are interested in the Humanities, Social Sciences, or STEM subject, you could find your ideal postgraduate course here.

Three other countries which definitely deserve a mention (not least because one of them holds the number one ranking spot) are Singapore, Taiwan, and New Zealand.

Each of these countries have two universities in the top 50; and it’s Singapore who holds the first place in the Asia-Pacific rankings.

These countries seem to be equally popular with international students, with each hosting around 50,000 international students on average.

Subjects such as Engineering and Computing are popular in Taiwan, with many universities offering vocational experience in the advanced manufacturing industries.

Singapore also scores well for these subjects, as well as Maths and the Physical Sciences.

New Zealand, similarly to Hong Kong, has good stability across all fields – and considering there are only 8 universities in New Zealand, it’s pretty impressive that two of them rank so highly.

Hopefully this blog has given you a good idea of the sorts of countries you might want to look into depending on your academic interests.

However, it’s definitely safe to say that no matter where you opt to study in the Asia-Pacific region, you’ll be choosing from some of the best universities in the world.

If you’d like more information on each of the countries listed here, you should check out our study abroad section.

You can also find lots of information about choosing and applying for a Masters in our advice section – and don’t forget to check other articles here on the blog!