Pakistani universities have sharply expanded their presence in major international league tables, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training at its 27th meeting, held at the HEC Secretariat on Tuesday.
Briefing lawmakers, he said the number of Pakistani universities in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings rose from 29 in 2020 to 83 in 2026. Representation in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Rankings grew from 14 universities in 2020 to 48 in 2026. On the global lists, he said Pakistani universities in the THE World University Rankings increased from 14 in 2020 to 56 in 2027, while those in the QS World University Rankings rose from seven in 2020 to 18 in 2027.
How far Pakistani universities have climbed
Dr Akhtar told the committee that two Pakistani universities are among the world’s top 500 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, and 12 sit in the top 1,000. In the THE World University Rankings 2026, he said, 22 Pakistani universities were placed among the global top 1,000.
He described the wider footprint as encouraging and said HEC treats international rankings as a signal of global visibility, academic reputation, research performance, graduate employability and international engagement. At the same time, he stressed that the goal is not ranking positions alone but lasting gains in academic quality, institutional performance and competitiveness.
What still holds campuses back
The HEC chairman listed financial and budgetary constraints, geopolitical and internationalisation barriers, limited global recognition and weak industry engagement as factors that still weigh on how Pakistani universities fare. He said ranking systems typically weigh research and discovery, employability and outcomes, learning experience, global engagement and sustainability.
Pakistan’s higher education sector has strong human resource potential, he said, but money remains a major obstacle. HEC has formed a committee on international university rankings to build a coordinated national approach, help campuses understand ranking methods and spot performance gaps.
Broader HEC steps beyond the league tables
Dr Akhtar also updated the panel on wider reform work. About 20 task forces are examining priority areas and preparing recommendations. HEC is reviewing policies on undergraduate education, transnational education, liberal arts, dual, double and joint degree programmes, computing education, curriculum change and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic programmes.
He pointed to scholarship and partnership schemes including the Pak-US Knowledge Corridor, Fulbright and DAAD awards, Quaid-i-Azam Memorial Scholarships, the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme, Allama Iqbal Scholarships for international students, links with Chinese institutions and technology firms, and the HEC Global Scholar Network Portal for connecting overseas Pakistani scholars with researchers at home.
Federal Education Secretary Nadeem Mahboob and officials from related education bodies also attended the meeting.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2020: Twenty-nine Pakistani universities appeared in the QS Asia Rankings; 14 in THE Asia; 14 in THE World; seven in QS World.
- 2026: Eighty-three Pakistani universities are listed in QS Asia and 48 in THE Asia; 22 sit in the THE World top 1,000.
- 2027: Fifty-six Pakistani universities feature in THE World Rankings and 18 in QS World, including two in the QS top 500 and 12 in the QS top 1,000.
- Tuesday (committee meeting): HEC Chairman Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar presented the ranking progress and related reforms to the National Assembly education standing committee at the HEC Secretariat.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Pakistani universities ab zyada international rankings mein nazar aa rahi hain. QS Asia mein unki taadad 2020 ke 29 se barh kar 2026 mein 83 ho gayi hai. Do universities QS World ke top 500 mein bhi shamil hain. Is se degrees ki pehchan behtar ho sakti hai, lekin HEC ke mutabiq funding aur industry ke saath kam rabta ab bhi badi rukawatein hain.
