Pakistan's AKU and PINSTECH among Muslim world's top 20 'specialised institutions'

ITU rankings provide data and analytics on over 450 universities from over 30 Muslim countries

Pakistan's Aga Khan University (AKU) and Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) have been ranked among the top 20 'specialised institutions' category in the Muslim world.

The Information Technology University Quality Research Ranking [ITU-QRR] , which provides data and analytics on over 450 universities from over 30 Muslim countries around the world to "benchmark research performance", has published its research for the year 2017 in order to help higher education policymakers as well as provide information to the scientific community.

Method

The ITU rankings are provided in two ways - through specific subject areas and the overall university rankings. The focus is on "key quality dimension of research performance, thus, the publications in top quality venues are considered to rate universities and institutes".



Subject areas are organised in two categories, with 15 level-one categories and 250 level-two categories. Ranking can be carried out in any level or category while the results show the "total publication output during 2010-2015 and their proportion in top quality venues".

In order to determine the overall ranking a measure was taken of the "comprehensiveness of research strengths across all subject categories".

Rankings

Pakistan appeared in the top 20 'specialised institutions' category, led by the AKU which ranked 6 with a 3.48 score, followed by the PINSTECH making it to the 13th slot with a score of 2.46.



However, only 12 universities from Pakistan were part of the 'broad institutions category' list, with the Quaid-e-Azam university on top among the 12 with a score of 3.21, followed by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (2.83) and the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (1.89). The Islamia University was at the bottom of the list with a score of 0.42.

More than 50 per cent of the top 20 universities across the Muslim world were based in Iran (seven) and Turkey (seven) and three were from Saudi Arabia, two from Malaysia and one from Egypt. Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz University topped the list with a 10.82 score, with the Harvard University, US set as a benchmark with a 100 score.