Iranian universities advance in THE, QS, rankings

TEHRAN –The status of Iranian universities has increased in the latest versions of the Times Higher Education (THE) and the QS World University Rankings, according to the head of the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC).

The main objectives of the world university and institutions rankings are the development of research and technology policies in line with international competition, and the establishment of a road map towards the globalization of universities at the global level, IRIB quoted Ahmad Fazelzadeh as saying.

However, the status of Iranian universities has decreased in the Shanghai ranking, he added.

World university rankings demonstrate the strengths and weaknesses of universities, as well as their scientific positions relative to one another.

However, They can contribute to boosting science diplomacy and attracting international faculty members and students. It can also shape policies that develop international competitions and lead to the globalization of universities.

The 21st edition of the QS World University Rankings (2025) placed nine Iranian universities among the world’s top institutes.

Sharif University of Technology (with a rank of 342), University of Tehran (368), Amirkabir University of Technology (403), Iran University of Science and Technology (436), and Isfahan University of Technology (489) ranked first to fifth, respectively.

Tabriz University (552), Shiraz University (691-700), Shahid Beheshti University (851-900), and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (951-1000) were other top Iranian universities included in the ranking.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (WUR) 2024 included 73 Iranian universities among the top universities in the world in 10 out of 11 subject areas with 2 universities namely the Institute of Higher Education of Scholars and the University of Sanat Naft, (listed as Reporter).

Sharif University of Technology with a ranking of 301 – 350 ranked first in the country. Amirkabir University of Technology was ranked second, while Science and Technology University as well as the University of Tehran were placed third. All the universities moved up.

However, the number of Iranian universities included in Shanghai's ranking lowered from 11 in 2022 to 10 in 2023.

The University of Tehran was among the top 500 universities in the world with a rank of 401-500, the best among Iranian universities.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences ranking lowered from 401-500  to 501-600.

The Academic Ranking of the World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, was first published in June 2003 by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy.

ARWU is published in two general areas, broad subject fields, and specific subjects. The ranking includes Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences.

ARWU uses six objective indicators to rank world universities, including the number of alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, the number of highly cited researchers, the number of articles published in journals of Nature and Science, the number of articles indexed in Science Citation Index - Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, and per capita performance of a university.

The Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC) released the World University Rankings (WUR). It is one of the ranking systems that started ranking universities for the first time in 2018 by the ISC Ranking Department with the aim of evaluating the universities of the country as well as Islamic countries at the world level.

The ranking of the world's universities by ISC is done without self-declaration of the universities, and based on this, a reliable database of the ranking of the world's universities has been formed in this organization over 5 years, which is a reliable source for research policies and drawing a road map to guide the universities of Iran and other Islamic countries towards It is a world-class university.

In the ISC WUR 2024 report, there were 2,555 universities from 114 countries and 6 continents in the global ranking. It included 69 Iranian universities compared to 63 in 2022.

To be able to improve the universities ranking in any world ranking system, it is crucial to leverage strategies that consider indicators and criteria used in those rankings and foster science diplomacy.