A total of 90 Pakistani universities have secured a place in the QS Asia University Rankings 2027, according to the latest rankings published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The official QS rankings website confirms the country’s representation by displaying 90 institutions when results are filtered by Pakistan.
The latest edition evaluates universities based on research performance, faculty resources, international engagement, and academic and employer reputations. NUST leads the Pakistani institutions in the rankings, followed by Quaid-i-Azam University and LUMS. COMSATS University Islamabad and the University of the Punjab also feature among the five highest-ranked universities in Pakistan.
The verified rankings for the top 10 Pakistani institutions are:
1. National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) =76
2. Quaid-i-Azam University 111
3. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) =143
4. COMSATS University Islamabad 171
5. University of the Punjab 172
6. University of Lahore 206
7. University of Engineering and Technology Lahore 208
8. Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) 221
9. University of Peshawar 250
10. Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology =251
In the broader Asian context, the University of Hong Kong retained its position as the highest-ranked university. Peking University secured second place, while Tsinghua University climbed from ninth to third. City University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong completed the top five. Fudan University and the National University of Singapore tied for sixth, while Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology tied for ninth.
Pakistan secured two positions among the ten highest-ranked universities in Southern Asia. NUST placed second in the subregional rankings, behind the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi). Quaid-i-Azam University secured 10th position, becoming the second Pakistani institution to enter the Southern Asian top 10. The regional rankings include universities from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Iran, and the Maldives.
QS calculates these rankings using 11 performance indicators. Academic reputation carries the largest weight at 30%, followed by employer reputation at 20%. The faculty-to-student ratio, international research network, and citations per paper each contribute 10%. Research papers per faculty member and the proportion of staff holding PhD qualifications each account for 5%. The final 10% is derived from international faculty, international students, and inbound and outbound student exchange indicators.
Students and researchers can view the complete Asian rankings and filter results by country or territory on the QS official website. The platform also allows users to explore Southern Asia rankings to compare Pakistani universities with neighboring institutions.
