Lahore, The QS World University Rankings has recently named Punjab University (PU) as the most-improved university in Asia over the past five years. This announcement was made during the EduData Summit in Washington DC, where Pakistan Embassy officials Mr. Bilal Akram Shah and Mr. Bilal Riaz accepted the award on behalf of PU.

According to University of the Punjab, the award reflects PU’s significant progress despite competing with universities from major Asian economies such as Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore, and India, which have considerably larger budgets. PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Khalid Mahmood, along with PU Ranking Committee Chairman Dr. Usman Awan and Secretary Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, discussed these achievements during a press briefing at the University Club.

Dr. Mahmood highlighted PU’s climb in the QS World University Ranking to 570, marking a significant improvement of 170 positions from the previous year. He credited the faculty, staff, and students for their hard work and dedication, which he believes could transform the higher education landscape in Pakistan. The university’s efforts have resulted in a leading position in Pakistan for the “Employment Outcomes” indicator, reflecting its graduates’ employability and leadership potential.

Dr. Mahmood also noted that PU published 8,637 Scopus-indexed papers in the past five years and achieved notable rankings in employment and academic reputation on a global scale. The university’s ranking efforts have been driven by an emphasis on international collaboration, research relevance to socio-economic challenges in Pakistan, and improved faculty-student ratios.

Chairman Ranking Committee Prof. Dr. Muhammad Usman Awan pointed out that PU’s achievements were supported by increased international faculty, a growing number of international students, and enhanced global engagement, which he believes will further improve PU’s standings in future rankings.