Asia Pacific holds the future of higher education in its hands

Responding to the growth in visibility and reputation of Asia Pacific

On day two of the Summit, we launched our latest QS report, exploring how universities are shaping ASEAN’s future. Key findings reveal that universities in many ASEAN countries are climbing in global rankings, with Malaysia and Indonesia making notable strides into the QS World University Rankings top 250 between 2016 and 2026. This increased visibility influences partnerships, investment, and talent flows.  

While Singapore remains the established leader, other countries are beginning to see meaningful progress, highlighting ASEAN’s emergence as a credible higher education hub. So how are universities responding?

For Dr Trang Ly Thien, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HUTECH), focus must be increasingly placed on maximising Asia’s dominance in innovation and employability opportunities.  

She said: “The innovation in Asia dominates higher education. You can see that in Asia, especially Southeast Asia, where we are focused most on outcome-based curricula and creating meaningful industry-led experiences for students. The young generation is also digitally dynamic and actively engaging in digital transformation. We must make the most of this shift if we want to remain agile in the global market.”

The President of Sunway University, Professor Sibrandes Poppema, highlighted that while industry often claims Malaysia needs more graduates, the real challenge lies in creating more high-level, value-added jobs.  

He said: “Malaysian universities already prioritise employability, but the key question is whether the jobs available truly reflect the value of higher education. Malaysia is striving to move up the value chain, particularly in sectors like semiconductors, and must take the necessary gamble to invest in future skills despite current economic constraints. Universities play a crucial role in this transformation — training talent for the industries of tomorrow, not just meeting today’s demands.”

Seizing the skills opportunity

The latest data from QS reveals that skills and employability alignment could generate US$900 billion in additional value across the ASEAN region and even more across Asia Pacific (How universities are shaping ASEAN’s future).  

In his Opening Remarks, Dong-One Kim, President at Korea University and our host for the Summit, shared that “technology is not our most valuable resource but the scientists, thinkers and innovators. It is our sole duty to prepare them with the skills and values to build a better world.”

Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director for Asia Pacific Economic Committee (APEC) also emphasised the importance of a ‘human-centric’ approach to technological innovation, highlighting the potential of technology to accelerate sustainable development while ensuring “no-one is left behind”. He added that “technology must embrace diversity by drawing on local knowledge, cultures and languages. Innovation is strongest when it reflects the richness of our communities.”

Carol Zhang, Head of Human Resources at Huatai International shared her industry perspective with university leaders, claiming that recruiters need graduates who have skills to offer beyond technical skills and field experience. She said: “We live in a rapidly changing world and we need people who can show learning agility and a curiosity mindset. Jobs can evolve very quickly and we can’t guarantee things won’t shift and change to align with business need. This is where our focus lies in recruiting new graduates.”  

Transformative leadership is another industry focus, which Agnieszka Sypniewska, Associate Director at Tuck School of Business, is acutely aware of and working to deliver. She said: “Employers don’t just want students who can do tasks. They want true leaders who have a vision and can bring it to life, making tough decisions based on data. That’s the biggest misconception about AI and data skills. It’s about cultivating leaders who can create a vision from the data and information and use the tools to influence.”

This mismatch in education and workplace needs is not unknown to universities – it's a challenge they continue to confront. According to Dr Ramakrishnan Raman, Vice Chancellor of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), aligning more closely with industry skills needs requires regional cooperation. He said: “We must work together to exchange best practice, learn from each other and share our common problems for greater solutions.”

A drive for interregional collaboration  

Throughout the Summit, interregional collaboration was a hot topic among speakers and delegates both on the stage and in networking conversations. It began in the Opening Ceremony as Guest of Honour, His Excellency Ban Ki-moon expressed “We have to join all our hands together, that’s a hard lesson that I have learned during my 10-year work as secretary-general of the United Nations. Let us strengthen partnerships among universities, governments and industries so that our collective efforts may yield lasting impact.”

The latest data from HolonIQ by QS shows that East to East mobility and West to East mobility is on the rise and higher education in the region is focused on interregional partnerships beyond Western influence.

Asia Pacific has distinct strengths and the potential for rapid momentum

In his Closing Remarks, Jeroen Prinsen, Executive Director for Asia Pacific at QS closed the Summit with a message of confidence and optimism: “As the world's fifth largest economy with the third largest population and the largest number of universities across the region, the global impact of Asia Pacific is building and it has a lot to show for increased visibility in the global higher ed market.”  How Asia Pacific moves now will shape the global sector of the future.

Join us at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific 2026 in Bali, Indonesia. Book your place now for our Early Bird rate.