QS World University Rankings 2027 Released: No Pakistani University in Top 350

KARACHI: The QS World University Rankings 2027 have been released, listing 18 Pakistani universities among 1,504 leading institutions worldwide.

According to the rankings, no university from Pakistan managed to secure a place in the global top 350 this year. Two federal universities—Quaid-i-Azam University and the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)—also failed to improve their previous positions.

Quaid-i-Azam University dropped from 354th place last year to 381st in the 2027 rankings, while NUST declined from 371st to 384th.

Other major institutions also saw mixed performance. The Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences improved from 721st to 560th position, while the University of the Punjab slipped from 542nd to 588th.

Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) fell from 555th to 608th, while the University of Agriculture Faisalabad improved slightly from 654th to 629th. COMSATS University Islamabad also improved, moving from 664th to 639th place.

Government College University Faisalabad was ranked 691st, while the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore stood at 791st. Aga Khan University and the University of Peshawar were placed at 951st position.

Bahauddin Zakariya University and the University of Lahore were ranked in the 1001+ bracket, while several institutions including the University of Karachi, Riphah International University, and the University of Technology and Management Lahore were placed in the 1201+ category.

The International Islamic University Islamabad and the Islamia University of Bahawalpur were ranked in the 1401+ range. Notably, the University of Karachi managed to secure a place among the world’s top 1,500 universities.

Officials noted that universities from Balochistan did not feature in the rankings this year.

Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the United States secured the top position. Imperial College London and Stanford University shared second place, while no institution was ranked third. The University of Oxford ranked fourth, Harvard University fifth, and the University of Cambridge sixth. ETH Zurich took eighth place, while University College London and the National University of Singapore also featured among the top global universities.