Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, any opinions expressed below belong solely to the author. Subject ranking data comes from the latest QS University Rankings.
Many Singaporeans dream of studying abroad, lured by the prospects of attending one of the world’s top universities like MIT, Harvard or Oxford. But, as we all well know, Singapore’s own schools are among the global elite already, and there are many subjects that they rank among the best in the world for.
Given the difference in cost (especially with subsidies for Singaporeans), it might be a better idea to get your education here.
However, while NUS is currently the 8th best in the world and NTU ranks 12, according to the just-released 2026 University Rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the positions for individual disciplines are vastly different.
To make your choice easier, I have compiled a list of all university fields in which Singapore’s universities rank in the global top 10, so you can be confident that you’re receiving some of the best education available anywhere right now.
(The positions are for 2025, released earlier this year as QS publishes ratings for the incoming academic year first, with data for specific disciplines following several months later.)
National University of Singapore / Global rank: 8
| Discipline | 2025 Global Rank |
| Art History | 2 |
| Engineering – Civil and Structural | 3 |
| Social Policy and Administration | 3 |
| Computer Science and Information Systems | 4 |
| Engineering – Chemical | 4 |
| Engineering – Electrical and Electronic | 4 |
| Geography | 6 |
| Marketing | 6 |
| Materials Sciences | 6 |
| Chemistry | 7 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | 7 |
| Business and Management Studies | 8 |
| Linguistics | 8 |
| Nursing | 8 |
| Pharmacy and Pharmacology | 8 |
| Architecture and Built Environment | 9 |
| Mathematics | 9 |
| Engineering – Mechanical | 9 |
| Environmental Sciences | 10 |
| Law and Legal Studies | 10 |
| Politics | 10 |
| Social Sciences and Management | 10 |
| Statistics and Operational Research | 10 |
NUS starts off with a major surprise—it’s the world’s 2nd best school for studying Art History, behind only London’s Royal College of Art. That’s quite an achievement for a young country with a limited domestic art scene and only a very short history.
The subsequent two subjects are much less surprising: Civil and Structural Engineering and Social Policy and Administration (especially given how well Singapore is managed and how acclaimed it is around the world for its achievements).
Computer Science graduates will be happy to know that NUS falls just one place short of a podium finish, ranking fourth, trailing the American behemoths of MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. Data and AI studies rank slightly lower, at 7th, but are still among the best out there.
That said, for AI, you might want to try NTU:
Nanyang Technological University / Global rank: 12
| Discipline | 2025 Global Rank |
| Materials Sciences | 2 |
| Library and Information Management | 3 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 4 |
| Engineering – Electrical and Electronic | 4 |
| Engineering – Mechanical | 4 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | 5 |
| Computer Science and Information Systems | 6 |
| Chemistry | 8 |
| Education and Training | 8 |
| Engineering – Civil and Structural | 9 |
| Engineering – Chemical | 10 |
NTU is one of the best places to study Materials Sciences in the world, coming 2nd after only MIT.
Given the worldwide demand for innovation in this discipline, it’s probably one of the best choices in sciences you can make right now. The technological progress of humanity is highly dependent on our ability to devise and mass-produce new materials, which determine competitive advantages of individual companies and entire countries.
Interestingly, Computer Science courses at NTU rank lower than at NUS, but its Data and AI programmes are two places higher.
In fact, let’s take a closer look at how both schools stack up against each other in disciplines where they compete within the world’s top 10:
| Discipline | NUS 2025 Global Rank | NTU 2025 Global Rank |
| Chemistry | 7 | 8 |
| Computer Science and Information Systems | 4 | 6 |
| Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | 7 | 5 |
| Engineering – Chemical | 4 | 10 |
| Engineering – Civil and Structural | 3 | 9 |
| Engineering – Electrical and Electronic | 4 | 4 |
| Engineering – Mechanical | 9 | 4 |
| Materials Sciences | 6 | 2 |
The National University of Singapore outranks NTU in four disciplines, while NTU wins in three, and one is a draw. It’s a very close race between the two.
There’s little difference between them in Computer Sciences and AI, as well as Chemistry and Electronics. NUS has a very clear advantage in Chemical as well as Civil and Structural Engineering, while NTU does considerably better in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Sciences.
However, even if you’re not into engineering or science disciplines, there’s still a lot you can study in Singapore with the knowledge that you’re getting some of the best education in the world.
Starting with the aforementioned Art History, Geography, Marketing and other Business Studies, Communication and Media, Linguistics, Nursing, Environment, Law, Politics or Social Sciences—there’s something world-class for (almost) everyone here.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singapore’s current affairs here.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock
