Several Pakistani universities have earned positions in the QS World University Rankings Asia 2026, highlighting their growing academic presence in the region.
The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) has taken the top national position with a ranking of 68. Quaid-i-Azam University follows with a rank of 89, while the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has secured 129th spot. These institutions are part of the wider list of Pakistani universities included in this year’s edition of the QS World University Rankings for Asia.
| Serial No. | University | City | Rank |
| 1 | NUST | Islamabad | 68 |
| 2 | QAU | Islamabad | 89 |
| 3 | LUMS | Lahore | 129 |
| 4 | COMSATS University | Islamabad | 150 |
QS has been releasing its Asia University Rankings since 2009, using a methodology closely aligned with its global ranking system but tailored with regional indicators. These criteria include academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, international research collaboration, citations per paper, papers per faculty, proportion of staff with PhDs, and levels of international faculty and students. The rankings also consider inbound and outbound exchange programs, creating a comprehensive assessment of each institution’s academic and global standing.
More than 1,500 universities have been featured in the 2026 list. The University of Hong Kong has taken the top position this year, moving ahead of Peking University. Two leading institutions from Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, share the third spot in the overall rankings.
View the full list here.