NTU ranked top internationally for AI degrees, edging out China’s Tsinghua University

NTU ranked world’s top university for artificial intelligence degrees in 2025

Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has been ranked the world’s top institution for artificial intelligence (AI) degrees in the 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects by ShanghaiRanking.

The rankings, released last month, placed NTU first with a score of 289 points, narrowly ahead of Tsinghua University in China, which scored 284.7.

Source: Nanyang Technological University website

NTU president highlights “human-centric” and responsible approach to AI

In response to enquiries from MS News, NTU President Professor Ho Teck Hua said the ranking reflects the university’s leadership in artificial intelligence research and education.

“This latest ranking shows that our faculty are at the forefront of the latest developments in AI,” he told MS News.

Source: Nanyang Technological University website

“As AI continues to reshape society rapidly, NTU will develop human-centric AI solutions and equip our students with the skills to harness the power of AI responsibly.”

Professor Ho is also the Founding Executive Chairman of AI Singapore, the national programme driving AI research and adoption.

Ranking comes months after NTU penalised students over AI use

The latest accolade comes months after NTU gave three students zero marks for an assignment due to improper use of generative AI tools in coursework.

The university previously said the penalties imposed were related to inaccurate or non-existent citations.

They also stressed that students had been “explicitly prohibited” from using AI for the module involved.

“The use of ChatGPT and other AI tools are not allowed in the development or generation of the essay proposal or the long essay,” the professor’s briefing slides had said.

“You will receive a zero mark for the assignment if you are caught using ChatGPT and other AI for writing assignments.”

Image by MS News.

According to The Straits Times (ST), NTU said that citing non-existent sources “undermines the credibility and authority of academic writing”.

It is also a serious form of academic misconduct.

Asia, North America and Australia dominate global top 10

Among the top 10 universities worldwide in the ranking, three are based in Asia, with the remaining institutions located in North America and Australia.

China and Canada feature prominently at the top of the table, while Singapore is represented solely by NTU.

Source: Shanghai Ranking website

The University of Toronto ranked third globally, making it Canada’s highest-placed institution for artificial intelligence.

Rankings based on research output and global impact

This year, ShanghaiRanking assessed around 2,000 universities from 100 countries and regions.

Of these, 400 universities were ranked specifically for their artificial intelligence programmes.

To qualify, institutions had to publish at least 100 scientific papers in the AI field between 2020 and 2024, Shanghai Ranking said.

The rankings were based on five indicators: faculty quality, volume of outstanding research, research quality, research impact, and international collaboration.