Pakistan's Top Universities in the THE and QS World Rankings 2027

Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad is Pakistan's best-placed university in both of the big world rankings this year. It sits in the 551–600 band of the THE World University Rankings 2027 (published 30 September 2026) and at =381 in the QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026). NUST is close behind in both.

This guide sets out how many Pakistani universities each ranking includes, which ones are placed highest, what the Asia tables say, where HEC's own ranking stands, and how a student or parent can use all of this sensibly. Rankings change every year and belong to the organisations that publish them, so treat these figures as a snapshot and check the publisher's site for the latest.

How many Pakistani universities are ranked

THE World University Rankings 2027 ranks 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories, according to Times Higher Education. 56 Pakistani universities are ranked in this edition, as Dawn reported.

You may also see the figure 108 in the news. That number includes 52 Pakistani institutions listed as "Reporter". A Reporter sent its data to THE but did not meet the conditions for a rank (for example, enough research publications over five years). So 108 Pakistani institutions appear on THE's site, but only 56 are ranked.

QS World University Rankings 2027 lists 1,504 institutions worldwide. 18 Pakistani universities are ranked, and none is in the global top 350.

The best-placed Pakistani universities in THE 2027

Below 300, THE groups universities into bands rather than giving each one an exact position. Universities in the same band are not tied; THE simply doesn't publish their order within it. That matters here, because 16 Pakistani universities share the 801–1000 band, so there is no honest "top 10" list for Pakistan. Here are the six placed above that band.

Place in Pakistan	University	THE World University Rankings 2027 band
1	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad	551–600
2	NUST, Islamabad	601–650
3	COMSATS University Islamabad	651–700
Joint 4	Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan	701–800
Joint 4	University of Agriculture, Faisalabad	701–800
Joint 4	University of Lahore	701–800

The 16 universities in the 801–1000 band are: Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Air University, GIK Institute, Gomal University, GC University Faisalabad, GC University Lahore, International Islamic University Islamabad, Iqra University, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, the University of the Punjab, UVAS Lahore, the University of Central Punjab, UET Taxila, the University of Gujrat, the University of Malakand and UMT Lahore.

LUMS is in the 1001–1200 band in this edition. That surprises some families. THE gives 59% of its weight to its two research pillars (research environment and research quality), so universities can place very differently on THE and on other tables.

The best-placed Pakistani universities in QS 2027

QS gives exact positions further down its table than THE does, so a clearer order appears. The "=" sign means a shared position. Two universities share 10th place in Pakistan, so the table has eleven rows.

Place in Pakistan	University	QS World University Rankings 2027
1	Quaid-i-Azam University	=381
2	NUST	384
3	PIEAS	=560
4	University of the Punjab	=588
5	LUMS	=608
6	University of Agriculture, Faisalabad	=629
7	COMSATS University Islamabad	=639
8	GC University Faisalabad	=691
9	UET Lahore	791–800
Joint 10	Aga Khan University	951–1000
Joint 10	University of Peshawar	951–1000

Notice how differently the two rankings treat the same universities. LUMS is fifth in Pakistan on QS and outside the top 20 on THE. PIEAS is third on QS. One reason is that the two publishers measure different things in different proportions. Our explainer on how THE and QS are made goes through the methods.

Asia rankings: the 2026 editions

The latest Asia tables are the 2026 editions. A QS Asia 2027 edition may come out in November 2026, so check topuniversities.com if you are reading this later.

THE Asia University Rankings 2026 (published 23 April 2026) ranks 48 Pakistani universities. The best placed is Quaid-i-Azam University at =148, according to THE's results.
QS Asia University Rankings 2026 (published November 2025) ranks 82 Pakistani universities. The best placed are NUST at 68, Quaid-i-Azam University at 89, LUMS at 129, COMSATS at 150 and the University of the Punjab at 151.

Does HEC rank universities?

Not at the moment, as far as we can find. HEC's last general ranking of Pakistani universities was its "2015" ranking, announced in February 2016, which ranked 129 universities using data from 2014-15. It is ten years old and should not be used to choose a university today.

In August 2023 HEC said it would resume ranking universities. We have not found any published results from that exercise. HEC does publish other assessments, such as reviews of universities' research offices, but these are not rankings of overall quality. If HEC publishes a new ranking, we will update this page.

What HEC does give families is something more important than a rank: recognition. Before paying any fees, check that the university and the specific campus are recognised by HEC. A degree from an unrecognised campus can cause serious problems with HEC degree attestation later, whatever its ranking.

How a student or parent should use these rankings

Rankings are a useful starting point, but they answer a narrow question: how a whole university scores on research, reputation and international links. They don't tell you whether your child will be well taught in the subject they want to study. Use them alongside these checks.

Look at the subject, not just the overall rank. A university placed modestly overall can be strong in one field. Our guide to subject rankings for engineering, computer science, medicine, business and law shows where Pakistani universities do best.
Confirm HEC recognition of the university, the campus and the programme. For professional degrees such as engineering or medicine, also check accreditation by the relevant professional council.
Compare the full cost. Tuition, hostel, transport and living costs in Lahore, Islamabad or Karachi vary widely. A higher rank is not worth a debt the family can't carry. Our cost calculator can help you plan, and the HEC Need-Based Scholarship is worth checking if money is tight.
Don't read too much into small gaps. Being one band higher is not a meaningful difference in teaching quality. Bands are wide, and positions move every year.
Think about what comes next. If your child plans a master's abroad later, a strong CGPA and good references from a recognised university will count in your applications, whatever the university's rank.

The limits are worth saying plainly. Rankings use self-reported data and reputation surveys, they favour research over teaching, and the publishers change their methods from time to time. Many good Pakistani universities and colleges don't take part at all, so absence from a list is not a sign of poor quality.

What to do next

Make a shortlist of three to five universities that offer the programme your child wants. For each one, check HEC recognition, the subject's standing, the total yearly cost and the admission test dates. Then look at the official ranking pages on timeshighereducation.com and topuniversities.com yourself, because the publishers are the final word and their tables change every year.