LAHORE: Only two Pakistani universities were ranked among top 100 in the recent QS Asia University Rankings, with several other institutions making notable improvements in their standing.

The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) Islamabad ranked 67th, while Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad came in at 84th.

In total, 70 Pakistani universities applied for the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025. The rankings consider factors such as academic reputation, employer reputation, and faculty-student ratios.

The universities like the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) at 115, Comsats University Islamabad at 129 and the University of the Punjab at 138 maintained strong positions, with each demonstrating regional academic strengths.

Beyond the top 100, other Pakistani universities ranked within the top 500 also include the University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore at 163, University of Lahore 182, University of Agriculture Faisalabad at 202, University of Peshawar at 205, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) Islamabad at 235, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) at 243, University of Karachi at 267, Aga Khan University Karachi 275, Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi at 291, Government College University Faisalabad and University of Management and Technology Lahore, both at 317, Air University Pakistan Islamabad and Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan both at 324, University of Central Punjab Lahore at 362, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan at 377 and Lahore School of Economics at 400. The Islamia University of Bahawalpur was ranked among 401-410, Bahria University Islamabad and Iqra University Karachi were ranked among 411-420, Government College University Lahore and Riphah International University Islamabad were ranked among 431-440, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences Islamabad and Sukkur IBA University were ranked among 441-450, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila among 451-460, University of Malakand,Chakdara among 461-470, NED University of Engineering and Technology Karachi among 471-480 and National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad among 481-490.

This ranking assesses 984 institutions covering 25 countries in Eastern, Southern, South-Eastern and Central Asia.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2024