Asia’s higher education landscape has surged into an era of unprecedented dynamic growth and global engagement. UNESCO has documented the region’s dynamic evolution in higher education, marked by rapid technological adoption and pedagogical innovation. Governments are investing in universities to expand access, moving from elite programs toward mass, even universal, enrollment. In Earth and Environmental Sciences, Asian institutions actively promote leading-edge interdisciplinary programs linking geology, ecology, engineering and policy.

Recent workshops featured cutting-edge lectures and hands-on fieldwork on topics from climate change to geological hazards. UNESCO-supported field courses in Central Asia give young researchers practical skills in geology and climate science, equipping them to better understand and address the region’s environmental challenges. Many programs leverage local field sites, monsoon systems, glaciers and river deltas become living laboratories. Programs are tailored to balance between high levels of scientific research and experience, inspiring students to go outside and observe and perform. Graduates not only walk out knowing something, but with an understanding of the planet, they are able to contribute to the sustainability effort. Asia is determined to develop such future leaders and it is producing a generation as conscientious as possible, ready to connect education and innovations with environmental responsibility in the manner the world really requires. In this current edition, ‘Top 10 Colleges to Study Earth and Environmental Sciences in Asia - 2025’, Asia Education Review highlights some of the leading institutions that are at the forefront of shaping the next generation of environmental leaders.

Read on to learn more about them and feel free to share your feedback!