The QS World University Rankings has recognized Punjab University as the most improved institution in Asia over the past five years, a significant source of pride for both Pakistan and the university itself. At the prestigious EduData Summit in Washington, Pakistan Embassy officials Bilal Akram Shah and Bilal Riaz accepted the esteemed award on behalf of PU. To celebrate this remarkable and unparalleled accomplishment, Punjab University's Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, alongside Chairman of the PU Ranking Committee, Dr. Usman Awan, and Secretary Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, convened a press briefing at the University Club.
Dr Mahmood said that PU competed with all universities from Asian giant economies like Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore and India. He said that the budgets of these universities are manifold as compared to the PU budget, but even then, PU has received the “Best Improved Institution – Asia region award” for the last five years. He said that the QS team has recently analyzed the reputation and research output of 5663 higher education institutions to rank 1,503. He said that in the latest QS World University Rankings, PU has been ranked at 570, with an unprecedented jump of 170 positions.
Dr Mahmood congratulated the faculty, staff, and students on this great success. He said this news may change the landscape of higher education in Pakistan. He said this news had ignited the hope that determination and consistency can enable any university to rise to the global stage even with meager financial resources. He briefed about all the steps taken by the PU Ranking Committee in the last six years. He said that 14 higher education institutions from Pakistan have been ranked this year.
He said that for citations, data from the last 6 years have been used, and the number of normalized citations from PU research work is 85,554. Dr Mahmood said that in the Employment Outcome indicator, PU stood 118 in the world; in the employment reputation indicator, PU stood 162nd in the world; and in the Academic reputation indicator, PU stood 566 in the world. The vice-chancellor highly appreciated the efforts done by the PU Ranking Committee comprising young professors under the chairmanship of Prof Dr Muhammad Usman Awan.
Chairman of the Ranking Committee, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Usman Awan, highlighted several factors contributing to this achievement. These include the satisfaction of esteemed academics and employers, the consistent rise in Scopus-indexed research publications and citations, student learning experiences, global engagement, and sustainability initiatives. Dr. Awan also emphasized that enhancing the faculty-student ratio, bolstering the presence of international faculty and students, fostering collaboration with international academics through co-authored papers, and prioritizing research on socioeconomic issues in Pakistan could further elevate Punjab University's ranking in the future.
