According to the latest Essential Science Indicators (ESI) data released by Clarivate in May, SCUT's Chemistry discipline has entered the ESI global top 0.01% for the first time, becoming the university's second discipline to achieve this elite status following Engineering. Now SCUT's overall ESI rank has surged to 141 worldwide among top 150 globally and 19 among mainland Chinese universities.

ESI is an analytical and evaluative tool for assessing research performance and tracking trends in scientific development. Disciplines ranking in the Top 1% are classified as "Excellent", Top 0.1% as "Exceptional", and Top 0.01% as "World-Leading". SCUT currently has 16 disciplines ranked in the ESI global top 1%, including 5 in the top 0.1% and 2 in the top 0.01%.