Old gate of Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Zens photo | Moment | Getty Images
U.S. universities produce the vast majority of the world’s wealthiest grads, according to new research.
But, beyond the borders of the booming billionaire hub, higher education institutions globally are minting multimillionaires at a rapid rate.
CNBC Make It took a look at research firm Wealth-X’s University Ultra High Net Worth Alumni Rankings 2019 to find out which universities across Asia Pacific have produced the most ultra-wealthy alumni — defined as those with a net worth of $30 million or more.
To produce the list, Wealth-X first collected a sample of ultra-wealthy individuals known to have a diploma, including both undergraduate and graduate degrees, from colleges and universities around the world, and tallies their total wealth as a group. Researchers then used that sample and Wealth-X’s database to estimate how many super-rich alumni each school has likely graduated in total.
The overall ranking is based on the known ultra-wealthy alumni population from each university.
The campus of the National University of Singapore (NUS).
kittijaroon | iStock Editorial | Getty Images
Singaporean, Chinese and Indian universities dominated the top spots globally, according to Wealth-X, with the Southeast Asian city state’s National University of Singapore stealing first place (21st globally).
China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University, both in Beijing, ranked in second and third place, respectively. They were followed by India’s University of Mumbai and University of Delhi, in that order.
The top 10 was rounded out by four universities in Australia and one in Taiwan. All universities fell within the top 50 of the global ranking.
Interestingly, the number of ultra-wealthy alumni was not necessarily reflective of total overall wealth. While Singapore’s NUS produced the greatest number of known ultra-wealthy alumni, the University of Mumbai accounted for the highest level of estimated alumni wealth, at a staggering $1 trillion.
Notably, however, at 17%, that university had the highest proportion of graduates with significant inherited wealth — a number equaled only by the University of Melbourne.
Here are the 10 universities in Asia Pacific with the most ultra-wealthy alumni (with their global ranking in parentheses):
1. (21) National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Known UHNW alumni: 102
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $14 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 1,890
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $88 billion
2. (31) Tsinghua University (China)
Known UHNW alumni: 74
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $103 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 1,090
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $491 billion
3. (35) Peking University (China)
Known UHNW alumni: 67
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $116 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 905
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $545 billion
4. (36) University of Mumbai (India)
Known UHNW alumni: 69
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $240 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 790
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $1 trillion
5. (36) University of Delhi (India)
Known UHNW alumni: 58
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $32 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 785
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $156 billion
6. (43) University of New South Wales (Australia)
Known UHNW alumni: 53
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $57 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 575
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $183 billion
7. (34) University of Sydney (Australia)
Known UHNW alumni: 55
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $39 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 550
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $126 billion
8. (46) National Taiwan University (Taiwan)
Known UHNW alumni: 33
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $45 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 410
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $207 billion
9. (47) Monash University (Australia)
Known UHNW alumni: 30
Known UHNW alumni wealth: $15 billion
Estimated total UHNW alumni: 405
Estimated total UHNW alumni wealth: $46 billion
