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University Directory · South Asia

Top 25 universities in Pakistan

The 25 leading universities and higher education institutions in Pakistan, ordered by the citations their research has received. Part of the WAC University Directory.

25 institutions listed · data October 2026

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  1. 1

    Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU)

    Islamabad, Pakistan

    • 33,819 research works
    • 2.6 million citations
    • h-index 409
  2. 2

    COMSATS University Islamabad (CIIT)

    Islamabad, Pakistan

    • 46,144 research works
    • 2.5 million citations
    • h-index 358
  3. 3

    Aga Khan University (AKU)

    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

    • 22,132 research works
    • 2.3 million citations
    • h-index 431
  4. 4

    University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF)

    Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 26,445 research works
    • 1.6 million citations
    • h-index 364
  5. 5

    National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)

    Islamabad, Pakistan

    • 32,005 research works
    • 1.3 million citations
    • h-index 272
  6. 6

    University of the Punjab

    Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 38,049 research works
    • 1.2 million citations
    • h-index 251
  7. 7

    Government College University, Faisalabad (GCUF)

    Faisalabad, Pakistan

    • 22,474 research works
    • 1.1 million citations
    • h-index 329
  8. 8

    Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU)

    Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 20,633 research works
    • 725 thousand citations
    • h-index 225
  9. 9

    University of Karachi (KU)

    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

    • 26,748 research works
    • 724 thousand citations
    • h-index 209
  10. 10

    Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB)

    Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 21,935 research works
    • 709 thousand citations
    • h-index 220
  11. 11

    University of Lahore (UOL)

    Lahore, Pakistan

    • 22,590 research works
    • 524 thousand citations
    • h-index 208
  12. 12

    University of Peshawar

    Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    • 14,502 research works
    • 492 thousand citations
    • h-index 218
  13. 13

    Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM)

    Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    • 13,483 research works
    • 460 thousand citations
    • h-index 182
  14. 14

    University of Engineering and Technology Lahore

    Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 12,375 research works
    • 418 thousand citations
    • h-index 187
  15. 15

    University of Sargodha

    Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 16,404 research works
    • 387 thousand citations
    • h-index 175
  16. 16

    International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI)

    Islamabad, Pakistan

    • 15,852 research works
    • 360 thousand citations
    • h-index 187
  17. 17

    Government College University, Lahore (GCU)

    Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 12,682 research works
    • 353 thousand citations
    • h-index 167
  18. 18

    University of Management and Technology (UMT)

    Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 13,558 research works
    • 330 thousand citations
    • h-index 186
  19. 19

    Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (AAUR)

    Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 9,034 research works
    • 308 thousand citations
    • h-index 175
  20. 20

    Riphah International University

    Rawalpindi, Pakistan

    • 15,782 research works
    • 302 thousand citations
    • h-index 159
  21. 21

    Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS)

    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan

    • 16,377 research works
    • 302 thousand citations
    • h-index 155
  22. 22

    University of Malakand (UOM)

    Malakand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

    • 7,281 research works
    • 296 thousand citations
    • h-index 149
  23. 23

    University of Gujrat (UOG)

    Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 9,580 research works
    • 287 thousand citations
    • h-index 171
  24. 24

    University of Engineering and Technology Taxila (UET Taxila)

    Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan

    • 6,430 research works
    • 283 thousand citations
    • h-index 186
  25. 25

    University of Sindh

    Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan

    • 8,829 research works
    • 268 thousand citations
    • h-index 162

Ordered by total research citations recorded in OpenAlex (October 2026). Works, citations and h-index are OpenAlex figures for the institution. How the list is made.

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About the directory

How institutions are chosen and ordered

The directory lists 1436 universities, colleges and higher education institutions in 199 countries and territories. In countries with 200 or more higher education institutions recorded in OpenAlex it lists the top 25; everywhere else, the top 5.

Institutions are ordered by the total number of citations their research has received, as recorded in OpenAlex, the open catalogue of the world’s research, with data taken in October 2026. This is a transparent, research-based order: it favours large research institutions and does not measure teaching quality, student experience or graduate outcomes. University systems are left out in favour of their campuses, and faculties or institutes are left out when their parent university is already listed. Names, cities and websites come from OpenAlex and the Research Organization Registry (ROR).

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