The Best Global Universities Rankings 2021 recently announced the world rankings of universities for 2021. From Pakistan, 13 universities made it to the list, out of which Quaid-Azam University being the leading institution in Pakistan at 1,678 universities worldwide.
In addition, Aga Khan University, COMSATS University Islamabad, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), and Faisalabad University of Agriculture are the top 5 Pakistani universities in the world.
Below are all the Pakistani universities ranked in terms of positions based on their rank of Best Global University.
| Rank | University | Global Score |
| 1. | Quaid-i-Azam University | 53.3 |
| 2. | Aga Khan University | 51.1 |
| 3. | COMSATS University Islamabad | 47.9 |
| 4. | National University of Sciences & Technology | 36.2 |
| 5. | University of Agriculture Faisalabad | 35.6 |
| 6. | University of Peshawar | 33.8 |
| 7. | University of Punjab | 29.6 |
| 8. | Government College University Faisalabad | 28.9 |
| 9. | Bahauddin Zakariya University | 27.0 |
| 10. | University of Karachi | 23.8 |
| 11. | Arid Agriculture University | N/A |
| 12. | University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore | N/A |
| 13. | University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Taxila | N/A |
The Best Global Universities Rankings look at the indicators mentioned below when compiling standards annually:
- Global research reputation
- Regional research reputation
- Publications
- Books
- Conferences
- Normalized citation impact
- Total citations
- Number of publications that are among the 10% most cited
- Percentage of total publications that are among the 10% most cited
- International collaboration – relative to the country
- International collaboration
- Number of highly cited papers that are among the top 1% most cited in their respective field
- Percentage of total publications that are among the top 1% most highly cited papers
