LAHORE: Nineteen public and private sector universities from Pakistan made into the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings.
Over 1,500 of the world’s top universities are included in the rankings released this week, with over 100 countries represented around the world.
For yet another year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been ranked as the best university in the world, while nearly 500 varsities have improved their performance since last year. Of these, the biggest climber is the Sunway University in Malaysia, which rose over 120 places.
Pakistani universities ranked among the top 500 include Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad at 354 and National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) Islamabad at 371.
Universities that were among the top 1,000 are the University of the Punjab at 542, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) at 555, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) at 654, COMSATS University Islamabad at 664, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) Islamabad 721-730, Government College University Faisalabad 761-770, University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore 801-850, University of Peshawar 901-950 and The University of Lahore at 951-1000.
19 Pakistani institutions feature in this year’s World University Rankings
Aga Khan University Karachi and University of Karachi were featured among the 1001-1200 ranked, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, International Islamic University Islamabad (IIU), Riphah International University Islamabad, and University of Management and Technology Lahore featured among 1201-1400 ranked and The Islamia University of Bahawalpur was in the 1401+.
Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah said the PU had significantly improved in the QS Rankings and currently ranked at 542 while last year it was at 570. He called the international rankings a significant parameter to assess university performance to attract the best students to the leading universities. He said that PU was ranked number 1 in Pakistan in “Employment Outcomes” indicator by ensuring a high level of employability for its graduates and also nurturing future leaders in their respective fields of study.
The VC said that in coming years, the focus of the incumbent administration would be on further improving the international rankings of the university.
“The university will be involved in community engagement, environmental awareness, efficient use of renewable energy, efficient water and waste management, carbon emissions and diversity,” Prof Shah said in a statement. The VC vowed that the PU would make sure that every faculty member contributed to research and it would develop a mechanism to reward the top cited authors.
Published in Dawn, June 21th, 2025
