Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the recent developments in the QS World University Rankings for 2026, showcasing the strong performance of Chinese universities and the overall trends in global higher education rankings [3][4][5]. Group 1: QS World University Rankings Overview - The QS World University Rankings for 2026 includes 1500 universities from 106 higher education systems, with a new indicator for "international student diversity" added, although it does not affect scoring [3]. - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranks first for the 14th consecutive year, followed by Imperial College London and Stanford University [3][6]. Group 2: Performance of Chinese Universities - Approximately 45% of Chinese universities improved their rankings compared to the previous year, continuing a trend of rising positions in international rankings [3]. - Five Chinese universities made it to the global top 50: Peking University (14th), Tsinghua University (17th), Fudan University (30th), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (47th), and Zhejiang University (49th) [4][7]. Group 3: Hong Kong and Macau Universities - Hong Kong universities showed significant improvement, with five institutions entering the global top 100, including the University of Hong Kong at 11th place, which rose six spots [4][6]. - The University of Macau remains the best-performing institution in Macau, ranking 285th globally [5].