A total of 33 Pakistani universities have been included in the US News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings 2026–27, with COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) emerging as Pakistan’s top-ranked university.
The latest ranking covers more than 2,250 universities from over 100 countries. US News mainly assesses universities based on their research performance, academic reputation, publications, citations and international research collaboration.
COMSATS University Islamabad secured 410th place globally with a score of 52.0. Quaid-i-Azam University followed at 451st, while the University of Lahore ranked 479th.
Other leading Pakistani universities included the University of Management and Technology (UMT) at 573rd, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) at 590th, University of Agriculture Faisalabad at 633rd, and Islamia University of Bahawalpur at 693rd.
Top Pakistani Universities
| Rank in Pakistan | University | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | COMSATS University Islamabad | 410 |
| 2 | Quaid-i-Azam University | 451 |
| 3 | University of Lahore | 479 |
| 4 | University of Management & Technology | 573 |
| 5 | NUST | 590 |
| 6 | University of Agriculture Faisalabad | 633 |
| 7 | Islamia University of Bahawalpur | 693 |
| 8 | Aga Khan University | 739 |
| 9 | University of Punjab | 762 |
| 10 | Bahauddin Zakariya University | 795 |
Other Pakistani universities appearing in the ranking include Government College University Faisalabad, Abdul Wali Khan University, KFUEIT, International Islamic University, University of Central Punjab, University of Peshawar, GCU Lahore, Air University, Hazara University, LUMS, UET Lahore, University of Karachi, Dow University of Health Sciences and GIK Institute.
Eight additional Pakistani institutions were also included in the US News country listing but did not receive an overall global rank or score.
At the international level, Harvard University took the top position, followed by MIT, Stanford University, the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge.
US News said the rankings are designed to highlight universities with strong research activity and global academic impact.
