ISLAMABAD – A total of 33 Pakistani universities have been included in the US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2026-27, with COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) emerging as the country’s highest-ranked institution.
COMSATS has secured 410th place globally, with an overall score of 52.0. Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) follows at 451st with a score of 50.7.
The latest US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2026-27 evaluated more than 2,250 universities from over 100 countries. The ranking system focuses largely on universities’ research performance and academic reputation.
The University of Lahore is Pakistan’s third-highest-ranked university, securing 479th place globally with a score of 50.0.
The University of Management and Technology (UMT) ranks fourth among Pakistani universities at 573rd, while the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) is fifth at 590th.
Pakistani universities in US News global rankings
University of Agriculture Faisalabad ranks sixth among Pakistani institutions at 633rd globally, followed by Islamia University of Bahawalpur at 693rd.
Aga Khan University is ranked 739th, while the University of Punjab and Bahauddin Zakariya University occupy 762nd and 795th positions, respectively.
Government College University Faisalabad ranks 853rd, followed by Abdul Wali Khan University at 897th and Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology at 920th.
International Islamic University, Pakistan, is ranked 959th globally.
Among other Pakistani institutions, the University of Central Punjab ranks 1,061st, followed by the University of Peshawar at 1,081st and Government College University Lahore at 1,112th.
Air University Islamabad, Hazara University and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) rank 1,192nd, 1,274th and 1,298th, respectively.
The remaining Pakistani universities included in the global ranking are listed below:
| S. No. |
Global Rank |
University |
Score |
| 1 |
410 |
COMSATS University Islamabad |
52.0 |
| 2 |
451 |
Quaid-i-Azam University |
50.7 |
| 3 |
479 |
University of Lahore |
50.0 |
| 4 |
573 |
University of Management & Technology (UMT) |
46.8 |
| 5 |
590 |
National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) |
46.2 |
| 6 |
633 |
University of Agriculture Faisalabad |
45.0 |
| 7 |
693 |
Islamia University of Bahawalpur |
43.9 |
| 8 |
739 |
Aga Khan University |
42.7 |
| 9 |
762 |
University of Punjab |
42.3 |
| 10 |
795 |
Bahauddin Zakariya University |
41.8 |
| 11 |
853 |
Government College University Faisalabad |
40.6 |
| 12 |
897 |
Abdul Wali Khan University |
39.5 |
| 13 |
920 |
Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology |
39.1 |
| 14 |
959 |
International Islamic University, Pakistan |
38.4 |
| 15 |
1,061 |
University of Central Punjab |
36.6 |
| 16 |
1,081 |
University of Peshawar |
36.3 |
| 17 |
1,112 |
Government College University Lahore |
35.8 |
| 18 |
1,192 |
Air University Islamabad |
34.2 |
| 19 |
1,274 |
Hazara University |
32.9 |
| 20 |
1,298 |
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) |
32.5 |
| 21 |
1,348 |
University of Engineering and Technology Lahore |
31.6 |
| 22 |
1,410 |
University of Gujrat |
30.4 |
| 23 |
1,449 |
University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Pakistan |
29.8 |
| 24 |
1,471 |
University of Sargodha |
29.4 |
| 25 |
1,514 |
Pakistan Institute of Engineering & Applied Science |
28.7 |
| 26 |
1,599 |
University of Engineering and Technology Taxila |
27.2 |
| 27 |
1,631 |
Bahria University |
26.8 |
| 28 |
1,661 |
University of Malakand |
26.3 |
| 29 |
1,728 |
University of Karachi |
25.5 |
| 30 |
1,798 |
Arid Agriculture University |
24.2 |
| 31 |
1,888 |
Dow University of Health Sciences |
22.8 |
| 32 |
1,922 |
GIK Institute of Engineering Science & Technology |
22.1 |
| 33 |
2,189 |
Kohat University of Science & Technology |
16.7 |
Eight other Pakistani institutions also appear in the US News Pakistan listing but do not have an overall global rank or score.
These include Agricultural University Peshawar, Capital University of Science and Technology, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Sukkur IBA University, University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar and the University of Sindh.
Harvard tops global university rankings
At the global level, Harvard University has secured the top position in the US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2026-27.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranks second, followed by Stanford University in third place.
The University of Oxford is ranked fourth, while the University of Cambridge completes the global top five.
US News said the Best Global Universities methodology focuses on universities’ research missions and scholarly impact.
The rankings take into account factors including research reputation, academic research performance, publications, citations and international collaboration.
The methodology means that the rankings primarily reflect universities’ research strength and global scholarly influence rather than factors such as undergraduate teaching or campus facilities.
Key points:
- 33 Pakistani universities have secured positions in the US News Best Global Universities Rankings 2026-27.
- COMSATS University Islamabad is Pakistan’s highest-ranked university at 410th globally.
- Quaid-i-Azam University and the University of Lahore follow at 451st and 479th, respectively.
- The rankings assessed more than 2,250 universities across over 100 countries.
- The rankings primarily measure academic research performance, research reputation and scholarly impact.
- Harvard University leads the global rankings, followed by MIT and Stanford University.
