TEHRAN – The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 has placed 75 Iranian universities among the top institutions.

The 2027 rankings include 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories. There are 106 new entries compared with last year.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.

The key criteria for the World University Rankings 2027 include Teaching (the learning environment), Research environment (volume, income and reputation), Research quality (citation impact, research strength, research excellence and research influence), International outlook (staff, students and research), and Industry (income and patents).

The latest methodology uses 17 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons, trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments.

After a decade-long upward trend, the number of Iranian universities has declined from 90 in 2026 to 75 in 2027, ISNA reported.

Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, and Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences are the top universities in the country with a global ranking of 401-450.

Sharif University of Technology and University of Tehran are placed second, ranking 401-500 globally.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences (501-550), Shiraz University of Technology (551-600), and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (651-700) are placed third to fifth.

In THE WUR 2027, Oxford is number one for the 11th consecutive year.  China’s Tsinghua University rises to number 11, overtaking Switzerland’s ETH Zurich. Asia is ahead of continental Europe for the first time. Three Asian universities, namely China’s Tsinghua University and Peking University, alongside the National University of Singapore (NUS), have secured places among the world’s top 15 universities in this year’s ranking.

Recent Rankings

The Round University Ranking (RUR) 2026 has placed 41 Iranian universities among the world’s top universities, up from 36 in 2025.

This year’s ranking includes 1,313 universities from 99 countries, providing one of the most comprehensive views of institutional performance across the global higher education landscape.

Islamic Azad University, ranked 90 globally (up from 93 in 2025), ranks first in the country.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences ranks (119), University of Tehran (180), Iran University of Science and Technology (235), Sharif University of Technology (271), Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (323), University of Tabriz (375), Isfahan University of Technology (441), Shahid Beheshti University (457), and K.N. Toosi University of Technology (505), rank second to tenth.

Based on the Teaching Ranking dimension, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, and University of Tehran are placed first to third, with global rankings of 22, 48, and 109, respectively.

In the Research Ranking dimension, Iran University of Science and Technology (146), Sharif University of Technology (151), and Islamic Azad University (189) are the top three universities in the country.

In the International Diversity Ranking dimension, Islamic Azad University, with a global ranking of 313, is placed first, followed by University of Religions and Denomination (579), and Imam Hossein University (608).

In the Financial Sustainability Ranking dimension, Imam Hossein University (161), Iran University of Science and Technology (237), and Baqir al-Olum University rank first to third.

Shanghai University ranking 2026 has placed six Iranian universities among the top 1,000 institutions worldwide, unchanged compared to the past year. In total, more than 2500 universities are ranked, and the best 1000 are published.

Tehran University of Medical Sciences and the University of Tehran, with a global ranking of 501-600, are jointly placed first in the country, IRNA reported.

Amirkabir University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, and Tarbiat Modares University rank third to sixth, respectively.

The 2026-2027 edition of the U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings has included 80 Iranian universities among the world’s 2,250 top universities.

University of Tehran (with a global ranking of 314), Islamic Azad University (460), Sharif University of Technology (578), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (585), University of Tabriz (663), Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (783), Tarbiat Modares University (783), Amirkabir University of Technology (791), and Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (801) ranked first to tenth in the country, respectively, Mehr news agency reported.

The following is the ranking of these universities based on their global subject standings.

University of Tehran: Polymer Science (5), Green and Sustainable Science and Technology (17), Water resources (35), Pharmacology and Toxicology (59), Agricultural Sciences (65), Energy and Fuels (66), Engineering (68), Food Science and Technology (76), Plant and Animal Science (77), Mechanical Engineering (78), Civil Engineering (92), and Artificial Intelligence (104).

Islamic Azad University: Polymer Science (12), Green and Sustainable Science and Technology (26), Energy and Fuels (44), Mathematics (47), Mechanical Engineering (56), Food Science and Technology (59), Civil Engineering (66), Water Resources (69), Engineering (77), Pharmacology and Toxicology (77), Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (102), and Artificial Intelligence (107).

Sharif University of Technology: Mechanical Engineering (73) and Civil Engineering (109).

Tehran University of Medical Sciences: Polymer Science (32), Pharmacology and Toxicology (49), Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (86), and Food Science and Technology (96).

University of Tabriz: Water Resources (55), Polymer Science (66), and Food Science and Technology (69).

Mashhad University Medical Science: Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (77), and Pharmacology and Toxicology (97).

Tarbiat Modares University: Water Resources (90); Amirkabir University of Technology: Polymer Science (49).

Tabriz University of Medical Sciences: Polymer Science (21), and Pharmacology and Toxicology (94).

MT/MG