Punjab University is the fastest-growing university in Asia, per the most recent QS rankings. At a press conference, Punjab University Vice Chancellor Dr. Khalid Mehmood announced the milestone. Dr. Usman Awan, Chairman of the Ranking Committee, and Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Secretary, were also present.
At the QS Edu Data Summit in Washington, Dr. Khalid Mahmood—representing Pakistan Embassy America—was presented with the esteemed award for the best developer in Asia, highlighting the university’s advancement. Punjab University has earned this honour by outperforming universities in China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore over the last five years. emphasised Dr. Khalid Mehmood.
The university saw a notable 170 rank improvement to be ranked 570th in the world, from among the top 740–750 institutions last year. Dr. Khalid Mehmood highlighted the dedication of the Punjab University Ranking Committee and said that the university’s success was due to the industrious work of its staff, administration, and students.
As further evidence of Punjab University’s commitment to both academic success and professional advancement, it has also taken the top spot in Pakistan for graduate employment. The Ranking Committee’s Chairman, Dr. Usman Awan, emphasised the necessity of continued government support to raise the calibre of education in Pakistani universities through sufficient funding.
Punjab University has set a standard for academic institutions throughout Asia and beyond with its exceptional performance in the QS rankings, which highlights the university’s dedication to excellence in research and education.
A source of pride for Pakistan, the country, and the university itself, Punjab University has been named the most improved university in Asia by the QS World University Rankings for the past five years. PU was represented by Mr. Bilal Akram Shah and Bilal Riaz of the Pakistan Embassy, who accepted the prestigious award at the QS World University Rankings-organized EduData Summit in Washington, DC. To celebrate this historic and unprecedented accomplishment, PU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Khalid Mahmood, Chairman of the PU Ranking Committee Dr. Usman Awan, and Secretary Dr. Shafiqur Rahman held a press briefing at the University Club on Wednesday.
Dr. Mahmood informed the media that PU was in direct competition with all other Asian universities, including those in South Korea, China, Japan, Singapore, and India. He claimed that although PU has won the “Best Improved Institution – Asia region award” for the last five years, the budgets of these universities are far greater than PU’s. He said that the QS team had recently ranked 1,503 out of 5663 higher education institutions based on an analysis of their reputation and research output.
According to him, PU has risen an astounding 170 spots to 570 in the most recent QS World University Ranking. The PU ranking for the previous year was 740–750, and for the years 2019–2022, it was between 800-1000. Dr. Mahmood expressed his congratulations to the staff, students, and faculty for this remarkable accomplishment.
He said that this news might alter Pakistan’s higher education system. He said that despite having little funding, any university can compete on the world stage with perseverance and determination, as demonstrated by this news. He provided a summary of every action the PU Ranking Committee had taken in the previous six years.
He said that this year, 14 Pakistani institutions of higher learning have been ranked. In Pakistan, PU is ranked #1 by the “Employment Outcomes” indicator, he claims. “This indicator reflects the ability of the university to ensure a high level of employability for their graduates, while also nurturing future leaders who go on to make impact in their respective fields,” he said.
It is important to note that the most recent ranking was based on data from Scopus-indexed publications over the previous five years. 8637 PU-affiliated, Scopus-indexed papers were published during this time frame, according to the VC. He said that the total number of normalised citations from PU research work is 85,554, and that citation data from the preceding six years was used. According to Dr. Mahmood, PU is ranked 566th for academic reputation, 162nd for employment outcomes, and 118th for employment outcomes globally. The Vice Chancellor commended the work of the University Ranking Committee, which was led by Professor Dr. Muhammad Usman Awan and comprised of junior faculty members.
Prominent academics and employers’ satisfaction, the steady rise in Scopus-indexed research publications and citations, the quality of student learning, global engagement, and sustainability were all factors in this achievement, according to Ranking Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Muhammad Usman Awan. In the future, the University of the Punjab’s ranking might benefit from research on Pakistan’s socioeconomic issues, enhancing the faculty-student ratio, recruiting more international faculty and students, and producing more co-authored papers with foreign academics. He asserted that PU can achieve a four-year ranking in the QS Top 300 Universities if the government gives the university substantial funding in the upcoming years.
