Top 10 Universities in Pakistan by QS World Ranking

Quaid-i-Azam University is the top ranked university in Pakistan, placed joint 381st in the QS World University Rankings 2027. NUST follows at 384 and PIEAS at joint 560.

QS Quacquarelli Symonds published the 2027 edition on 19 June 2026, and it is the current edition as of August 2026. Eighteen Pakistani universities appear among the 1,500 institutions it covers, and none reached the global top 350. Every rank, city, type and founding year below is stated with its source and year.

Top Universities in Pakistan in the QS World University Rankings 2027

The table below lists all eighteen Pakistani universities included in the QS World University Rankings 2027, in the order QS placed them. Ranks shown as a range are band positions, which QS assigns below rank 700. Founding years are the year each institution was established or granted university status.

Rank in Pakistan	University	City	QS World Rank 2027	Type	Founded
1	Quaid-i-Azam University	Islamabad	381 (joint)	Public	1967
2	National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)	Islamabad	384	Public	1991
3	Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)	Islamabad	560 (joint)	Public	1967, chartered 1997
4	University of the Punjab	Lahore	588 (joint)	Public	1882
5	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)	Lahore	608 (joint)	Private	1984
6	University of Agriculture, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	629 (joint)	Public	1961
7	COMSATS University Islamabad	Islamabad	639 (joint)	Public	1998, chartered 2018
8	Government College University, Faisalabad	Faisalabad	691 (joint)	Public	2002, college 1897
9	University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore	Lahore	791 to 800	Public	1961, college 1921
10	Aga Khan University	Karachi	951 to 1000	Private	1983
10	University of Peshawar	Peshawar	951 to 1000	Public	1950
12	Bahauddin Zakariya University	Multan	1001 to 1200	Public	1975
12	The University of Lahore	Lahore	1001 to 1200	Private	1999
14	Riphah International University	Islamabad	1201 to 1400	Private	2002
14	University of Karachi	Karachi	1201 to 1400	Public	1951
14	University of Management and Technology (UMT)	Lahore	1201 to 1400	Private	1990
17	International Islamic University, Islamabad	Islamabad	1401 and above	Public	1980
17	The Islamia University of Bahawalpur	Bahawalpur	1401 and above	Public	1975, Jamia Abbasia 1925

Islamabad holds four of the top seven places. Lahore holds four of the top nine. Between them the two cities account for every Pakistani institution inside the global top 700 except the two Faisalabad universities.

Which Is the Best University in Pakistan?

Quaid-i-Azam University is the best ranked university in Pakistan on the QS measure, at joint 381 in the 2027 edition. Established in Islamabad in July 1967 as the University of Islamabad and renamed in 1976, it draws its QS score from research citations in the natural sciences.

The answer changes by subject. NUST sits 3 places behind overall but leads Pakistan in engineering and technology. PIEAS made the largest move of any Pakistani institution this edition, from 721 in QS 2026 to joint 560. Aga Khan University leads medicine and LUMS leads management. No single Pakistani university leads every field.

Profiles of the Top Ranked Universities in Pakistan

The ten profiles below follow the QS World University Rankings 2027 order.

Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU)

Quaid-i-Azam University is a public research university in Islamabad with faculties of natural sciences, social sciences, biological sciences and medicine. Quaid-i-Azam University is Pakistan’s most cited institution in physics and chemistry. It held rank 354 in QS 2026 and joint 381 in QS 2027.

National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

The National University of Sciences and Technology is a public university established in 1991 and administered in association with the Pakistan Armed Forces. NUST runs its main campus in Islamabad with schools of engineering, computing, business and social sciences. NUST ranked 371 in QS 2026 and 384 in QS 2027.

Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)

The Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences began in 1967 as the Reactor School, became the Centre for Nuclear Studies in 1976, and was chartered as an independent public university in 1997. PIEAS specialises in nuclear engineering, materials and medical physics, and it climbed from 721 to joint 560 in QS 2027.

University of the Punjab

The University of the Punjab was established at Lahore in 1882 and is the oldest university in Pakistan. The public institution is the country’s largest by enrolment, with faculties covering law, pharmacy, oriental learning, economics and the sciences, and it entered QS 2027 at joint 588.

Lahore University of Management Sciences(LUMS)

The Lahore University of Management Sciences was founded in 1984 as a private, not for profit university. LUMS teaches through the Suleman Dawood School of Business, the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, and schools of science and engineering and humanities. LUMS is the highest placed private university in Pakistan at joint 608 in QS 2027.

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad is a public university created in 1961 by upgrading the Punjab Agriculture College and Research Institute, Lyallpur, which dates to 1906. It leads Pakistan in agronomy, plant breeding, food science and veterinary science, and it holds joint 629 in QS 2027.

COMSATS University Islamabad (formerly COMSATS Institute of Information Technology)

COMSATS University Islamabad opened its first campus in April 1998 as the COMSATS Institute of Information Technology and was upgraded to a federally chartered university in April 2018. The public institution runs campuses in Islamabad, Lahore, Abbottabad, Wah, Attock, Sahiwal and Vehari, and holds joint 639 in QS 2027.

Government College University, Faisalabad

Government College University, Faisalabad began as a primary school in 1897 in Karkhana Bazar and was granted university status in 2002. The public university teaches sciences, engineering and arts, and its joint 691 position in QS 2027 places it inside Pakistan’s top eight, ahead of UET Lahore.

University of Engineering and Technology(UET) Lahore

The University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore was founded in 1921 as Mughalpura Technical College and granted university status in 1961. UET Lahore is the oldest engineering university in Pakistan, with campuses at Lahore, Kala Shah Kaku, Faisalabad, Narowal and Rachna, and it sits in the 791 to 800 band in QS 2027.

Aga Khan University(AKU)

Aga Khan University is a private research university established in Karachi in 1983, with campuses in East Africa and the United Kingdom. Aga Khan University is Pakistan’s leading medical school, with a teaching hospital, schools of nursing and midwifery, and an institute for educational development. It sits in the 951 to 1000 band in QS 2027.

Top Private Universities in Pakistan

Five private universities appear in the QS World University Rankings 2027. LUMS in Lahore leads them at joint 608, followed by Aga Khan University in Karachi in the 951 to 1000 band, The University of Lahore in the 1001 to 1200 band, and Riphah International University and the University of Management and Technology in the 1201 to 1400 band.

Private universities in Pakistan concentrate in three fields. Business and management is the largest, and it is where LUMS and UMT built their reputations. Medicine is the second, led by Aga Khan University. Health sciences is the third, where Riphah International University and The University of Lahore grew their enrolment.

Top Government Universities in Pakistan

Thirteen of the eighteen ranked Pakistani institutions are public. Quaid-i-Azam University leads at joint 381, then NUST at 384, PIEAS at joint 560, the University of the Punjab at joint 588, the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad at joint 629, COMSATS University Islamabad at joint 639 and Government College University, Faisalabad at joint 691.

Government universities dominate the upper half of the list because the QS model weights research citations and academic reputation heavily, and public institutions hold most of the country’s doctoral faculty. Admission runs on entry tests and merit lists, a system whose integrity is examined in the record of examination cheating and paper leaks in Pakistan.

Other Well Known Universities in Pakistan

Several institutions Pakistani readers associate with the top tier sit outside the QS top ten, and one named in older lists does not appear at all.

University of Karachi

The University of Karachi was established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament as a successor to the University of Sindh, and it is the largest public university in Sindh by enrolment. QS 2027 places the University of Karachi in the 1201 to 1400 band.

Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University(BZU)

Bahauddin Zakariya University was established at Multan in 1975 as the University of Multan and renamed in 1979. The public university serves southern Punjab across agriculture, engineering, pharmacy and arts, and QS 2027 places it in the 1001 to 1200 band, outside Pakistan’s top ten.

Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi

The Institute of Business Administration, Karachi was founded in 1955 and is the oldest business school in Pakistan. IBA Karachi is not among the eighteen Pakistani institutions listed in the QS World University Rankings 2027, because QS ranks whole institutions on research volume, which small specialist business schools rarely generate.

Institute of Southern Punjab (ISP)

The Institute of Southern Punjab in Multan appears in no edition of the QS World University Rankings, including 2027. Earlier versions of this page described it as the best university in Pakistan. That claim had no ranking source behind it and has been removed.

How Are the QS World University Rankings Decided?

QS scores each university on a fixed set of weighted indicators and converts the total into a single global rank. Academic Reputation carries 30 percent and is the heaviest single indicator. Citations per Faculty carries 20 percent. Employer Reputation carries 15 percent. Faculty Student Ratio carries 10 percent. International Faculty Ratio and International Student Ratio carry 5 percent each. The remaining weight is divided between employment outcomes, international research network and sustainability.

Two consequences follow. Half the score rests on research volume and citations, which is why Quaid-i-Azam University and PIEAS outrank institutions with far larger student bodies. The two reputation indicators together carry 45 percent and come from global surveys, which favours universities with long international collaboration histories. QS assigns exact ranks only to the top 700, so nine Pakistani institutions carry a band rather than a number.

How Many Universities Are in Pakistan?

Pakistan has roughly 262 universities and degree awarding institutions providing higher education, the figure recorded for 2024. The Higher Education Commission updates its recognised list continuously rather than publishing a fixed annual total, so compilations circulating in 2025 and 2026 range from about 244 institutions, split 145 public and 99 private, up to 262.

Only 18 of those institutions, about 7 percent, appear in the QS World University Rankings 2027. The gap between the recognised list and the ranked list is a research output gap rather than an enrolment gap, and it is one strand of the wider account of the education system of Pakistan and the problems it faces.

Frequently Asked Questions About Top Universities in Pakistan

Which is the top university in Pakistan?

Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad is the top university in Pakistan, ranked joint 381st in the QS World University Rankings 2027 published on 19 June 2026.

How many universities are in Pakistan?

Pakistan has about 262 universities and degree awarding institutions as of 2024. The Higher Education Commission updates its recognised list continuously, so published counts range from roughly 244 to 262.

What is the difference between LUMS and NUST?

LUMS is a private Lahore university strongest in management, law and social sciences. NUST is a public Islamabad university strongest in engineering and technology. NUST ranks 384 and LUMS joint 608 in QS 2027.

Which is the oldest university in Pakistan?

The University of the Punjab in Lahore, established in 1882, is the oldest university in Pakistan. It ranks joint 588th in the QS World University Rankings 2027.

Which university is the hardest to get into in Pakistan?

Aga Khan University in Karachi is the hardest to enter. Its medical college admits roughly 100 MBBS students each year, purely on merit, with no reserved or quota seats.

Last Thoughts on the Top Universities in Pakistan

The QS World University Rankings 2027 record a country whose best institutions cluster between rank 381 and rank 700, with Quaid-i-Azam University and NUST separated by 3 places and none inside the global top 350. Both leaders slipped from their QS 2026 positions of 354 and 371, while PIEAS gained 161 places. Rankings move every June, so a figure from an older list misstates the order within a year.

Individual achievement runs ahead of institutional ranking in Pakistan, a pattern visible in the record of Arfa Karim, the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional. This page will be updated when QS publishes the 2028 edition.