The University of Tsukuba has been rated the 13th best new university worldwide, in a ranking that compares the merits of such institutions set up within the past 50 years.

Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd., a London-based education services company, compared institutions of higher education for their academic research, teaching, international outlook and — of crucial interest to many students — the employability of graduates.

Tsukuba placed 13th in the QS Top 50 Under 50 list.

Singapore's Nanyang Technological University came first, followed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in third place.

The University of Tsukuba was the only Japanese university to feature in the top 50. It climbed one place, from 14th last year.

QS has been ranking institutions of higher education since 2004. The company says the principal aim is to "help students make informed comparisons between their international study options."

Its flagship list is the QS World University Rankings, a ranking of more than 800 colleges around the world, selected from more than 3,000 surveyed.

The institutions are rated on the same factors as the Top 50 Under 50.

The rankings also consider the international student ratio, which measures the international diversity of the student community, and how many foreign teaching staff are employed.

The University of Tsukuba was founded in 1973 as a state-run institution. Education experts in Japan commonly rate it as among the nation's finest.

Tsukuba is also credited as a pioneer in university reform, for having designed its academic and research units to encourage interdisciplinary research and education.

Moreover, the university has embraced internationalization by offering a variety of degree programs taught in English to attract overseas students, and by opening liaison offices in nations such as Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, China, and Germany, which aim to promote student exchanges.