Iran ranks 11th among Islamic countries in 2026 QS university list
Iran ranked 11th among Islamic nations in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, according to figures released in July by the Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC).
The data shows that Malaysia led the list with 32 universities, followed by Indonesia and Turkey with 26 each. Iran had 11 institutions on the global ranking. The results, published in June 2025 by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, evaluated over 1,500 universities worldwide in its 22nd edition, ISNA reported.
The top-ranked institution among Muslim-majority countries was Universiti Malaya (UM) of Malaysia, placed 58th globally. It was followed by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia, ranked 67th, and Qatar University at 112.
“The Islamic world was represented by 290 universities from 29 countries,” said Mohammad-Mehdi Alavianmehr, head of the ISC, adding that 57 Islamic nations were eligible.
Globally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) held on to the top spot for the 14th consecutive year, while Imperial College London climbed to second. Stanford, Oxford, and Harvard followed in third to fifth place respectively.
The ISC is the Tehran-based institute that monitors and analyses science and technology developments across the Islamic world.