Eight Pakistani universities have secured spots in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings: Asia 2026, highlighting the country’s growing presence in regional higher education.
The Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) leads the national list at rank 238, maintaining its reputation as one of Pakistan’s premier science and engineering institutions. Air University follows at rank 328, while Bahria University stands at rank 416.
Other universities making the list include The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (434), University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (607), Hazara University (614), University of Swat (761–770), and University of Sahiwal (951–1000).
The QS Asia University Rankings, launched in 2009, assess institutions based on several key performance indicators. These include academic and employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, research output, internationalization, and the qualifications of academic staff. Additional factors, such as international student and faculty proportions and exchange programs, also contribute to the final rankings.
This year’s edition evaluated over 1,500 universities across the continent. At the regional level, The University of Hong Kong claimed the top position, overtaking Peking University, which ranked second. Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) shared the third spot, underscoring the city-state’s academic excellence.
Rounding out the top 10 were Fudan University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
The latest rankings reaffirm Pakistan’s steady advancement in regional academia, driven by improvements in research, innovation, and global collaboration.
