Last year, NTU has widened its lead over second-placed Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in the QS Top 50 under 50 Ranking which ranks universities established in the last 50 years. The local varsity scored an overall of 93.9, compared to HKUST's 88 points. There were 100 universities in QS' ranking last year.

In 2014, NTU pipped its Hong Kong rival to the top position by just 0.7 point, with a score of 84 points.

The top six universities in this league table are all from Asia. In third and fourth place are The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the Pohang University of Science and Technology respectively. The City University of Hong Kong came in fifth place and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was ranked sixth.

According to QS, these rankings are drawn from "hard" data and from findings based on two large global surveys of academics and employers. The data and findings are then compiled using six indicators which include academic reputation from the global survey findings (40 per cent), faculty-to-student ratio (20 per cent), citations per faculty from Scopus (20 per cent), employer reputation from the global survey findings (10 per cent), international faculty ratio (5 per cent) and international student ratio (5 per cent).

This time round, NTU has improved its scores in research citations, academic and employer reputation, and faculty-tostudent ratio. It also scored well for its internationally diverse faculty and student communities.

Only universities under 50 years old participate in the ranking. Singapore Management University is not included as it is considered a specialized university.

QS said that the ranking shows that NTU, which was set up in 1991, has not rested on its laurels after being ranked as the world's best young university in 2014. "On the contrary, it has enjoyed a huge leap in its World University Rankings position, and retains its position here despite the challenge from HKUST. Both results provide evidence of Nanyang's increasing status as one of the world's elite educational establishments," said a QS spokesman. NTU President Bertil Andersson said, "Being named the best young university for the second year running, right after our big jump to 13th in the world university rankings in September is fantastic news not only for NTU, but also for Singapore which celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year. It is a tribute to the quality of our faculty, staff and students and shows that being a young university should not be a hindrance in making an impact on a global scale."

"The latest rankings also demonstrate the determination of Asia's young universities which are at the top of the game with their strong drive for excellence," he added.

Professor Andersson said he is often asked the reasons for NTU's rapid rise globally when he is overseas. "My answer is simple — it's people, people and people. NTU today is a talent magnet that draws some of the world's best professors and students," he said, adding that the quality of students at NTU has been rising rapidly each year.

Earlier in 2015, NTU was also named the world's fastest-rising young university by Times Higher Education, another ranking house.

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