The 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is released on 15 August 2021 by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. Mainland China has 157 universities ranked in the Top 1000.

Guangdong University of Technology continues to rise on world top 400, enters between 36th to 57th position among Chinese Mainland universities.

Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU): Starting from 2003, ARWU has been presenting the world's top universities annually based on a set of objective indicators and third-party data. 2021 ARWU is the 19th edition. ARWU has been recognized as the precursor of global university rankings and the most trustworthy league table.