ISLAMABAD – The Times Higher Education (THE) has released its World University Rankings 2027, with no Pakistani university securing a place among the world’s top 400 institutions.
According to the rankings, Pakistan’s two major universities, the University of Karachi and the University of the Punjab, were placed in the 1,601–1,800 and 1,801–2,000 bands, respectively.
Quaid-i-Azam University emerged as Pakistan’s highest-ranked institution, securing a position in the 551–600 band. The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) was placed in the 601–650 band, while COMSATS University Islamabad ranked in the 651–700 band.
The Bahauddin Zakariya University, University of Agriculture Faisalabad and University of Lahore were placed in the 701–800 band.
A total of 56 Pakistani universities received rankings in the latest list, but none made it into the top 400.
At the global level, the University of Oxford retained the top position for the 11th consecutive year. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranked second, while Princeton University and Stanford University jointly secured third place. The University of Cambridge ranked fifth and Harvard University sixth.
The California Institute of Technology was seventh, Imperial College London eighth, while the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University jointly ranked ninth.
Seven US universities and three UK universities featured in the global top 10.
In Asia, China’s Tsinghua University ranked 11th and Peking University 13th. China had 17 universities among the global top 200.
Japan had five universities in the list, with the University of Tokyo ranked 27th and Kyoto University jointly 62nd. Malaysia’s University of Malaya entered the top 200 for the first time, ranking jointly 194th.
The absence of any Pakistani university from the top 400 has raised concerns over the country’s higher education and research performance, as well as the global competitiveness of its universities.
