Islamic Countries’ Universities in ISC IWUR 2022 Ranking 

Among 57 Islamic countries’ universities, a total of 460 universities from 30 Islamic countries were eligible to be included and ranked in ISC IWUR 2022.

The largest number of universities belong to Türkiye, Iran and Pakistan with 111, 74 and 41 universities in this ranking, respectively.

The status of other Islamic countries in terms of the number of universities in this ranking is shown in the graph below.

 

 

ISC IWUR 2022 Top Universities

 

Islamic Countries’ universities in ISC WUR 2022

In ISC IWUR 2022, there were 347 universities from 28 Islamic countries. Türkiye with 90 universities and Iran with 63 universities had the largest number of universities.

Among other Islamic countries, Malaysia and Pakistan with 26 universities, Saudi Arabia with 25 universities, Egypt with 23 universities, Indonesia with 20 universities, Morocco with 11 universities, Tunisia and Nigeria with 8 universities, Algeria with 7 universities, Iraq, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates with 5 universities ranked next. Bangladesh, Lebanon and Qatar each have 4 universities, Kazakhstan 3 universities, and other countries including Azerbaijan, Benin, Brunei, Cameroon, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Senegal, Sudan and Uganda each have 1 university in this ranking.

 

 

Among Islamic countries’ top universities, Saudi Arabia with the best rank of 160, Egypt 351-400, Iran 401-450 and Pakistan 451-500 have obtained the best world rankings.

In total, only 8 universities among Islamic countries have been ranked below 500. Meanwhile, according to OIC 10-year program of science, innovation and technology (approved in 2017 in Kazakhstan), it is essential for 50 universities from Islamic countries to be among the top 500 world universities by 2026. For this reason, serious efforts should be made by the universities of these countries along with the preparation of a suitable management plan and road map in order to increase the number of universities and obtain the appropriate global rank.

Islamic Countries’ presence in ISC WUR by subject 2022

Due to the importance of S&T in all subject areas, a ten-year S&T program (2016-2026) was approved by the ministers of Islamic countries in 2017. Based on this program, the presence of at least 50 OIC universities in Islamic countries among the top 500 universities in the world until 2025 and according to global ranking systems criteria has been stated.

In this document, it is mentioned that "university education among OIC member countries should go beyond the basic issues such as paying attention to increasing university admissions, attracting more faculty members, and increasing publications. In fact, it is necessary to focus on producing up-to-date knowledge, providing quality education, expanding international communication, and increasing social impact.

The ten-year science and technology document of the OIC member states provides a mechanism that aims to build collective capability and capacity for the development of a wide range of issues, including water, food, agriculture, energy, basic and applied sciences, as well as the topic of strengthening international communication and interactions with the world's leading scientific institutions.

Among the subjects mentioned in this document are mathematics and physics, biology, biotechnology, chemical sciences and other related subjects that have countless benefits for the entire society.

It has been recommended that these sciences should be promoted at the level of Islamic countries, and for this purpose investment should be made in these fields and education and research should also receive attention.

In ISC IWUR 2022 by subject, other Islamic countries also appeared well.

In natural sciences, there were 43 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number of which was Iran with 11 universities and Egypt with 7 universities. The best rank obtained in this field belonged to the country of Saudi Arabia with a rank of 145.

In engineering and technology, there were 57 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number allocates to Iran with 16 universities and then Malaysia with 11 universities. The best rank obtained in this field belonged to Saudi Arabia with rank 85.

In medical and health sciences, there were 54 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number of which is Türkiye with 16 universities. After Türkiye, Iran with 12 universities and Egypt with 8 universities have had the largest presence in this subject area. In addition, the best rank obtained in this subject area is related to Iran (219).

In agricultural and veterinary sciences, there were 85 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number of which is Türkiye and Iran with 18 and 17 universities, respectively. The best rank obtained in this area was 38 for the country of Saudi Arabia.

In social sciences, there were 22 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number of which is from Malaysia with 7 universities. After that, the countries of Indonesia with 5 universities and Türkiye with 3 universities have been the most present in this subject area. In addition, the best rank obtained in this field was 238 (Saudi Arabia).

In humanities and arts, there were 10 universities from Islamic countries, the largest number are Malaysia and Türkiye with 4 universities each. Iran and Lebanon were also present with 1 university each in this subject area. The best rank obtained in this subject area belonged to Malaysia with a rank of 251-300.

 

 

 

 

The Performance of Islamic Countries’ Universities in Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2023

Among the Islamic countries of the Asian continent, a total of 253 universities from 17 Islamic countries are present in the 2023 ranking, while in 2022 ranking, this number was 209 universities. In terms of the number of universities, Iran ranks first with 65 universities, and Türkiye and Pakistan rank second and third with 61 and 29 universities, respectively.

 

 

 

The position of Islamic countries in CWTS Leiden Ranking 2023

With the presence of 46 universities in this ranking system, Iran has the first rank among Islamic countries in terms of the number of universities. After Iran, Türkiye and Egypt ranked second and third with 36 and 13 universities, respectively. The table below shows the number of universities in Islamic countries in the Leiden ranking system.

 

The status of Islamic countries’ universities in 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)

In 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), there are 11 Islamic countries.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Türkiye, Egypt and Pakistan have the highest number of universities with 12, 10, 8, 7 and 6 universities, respectively. The number of universities in other Islamic countries can be seen in the chart below.

 

 

 

In terms of the best ranking position, Saudi Arabia ranked first (101-150), Egypt ranked second (301-400), and Iran, Türkiye and Malaysia ranked third jointly (401-500).

 

                                

 

 

The position of Islamic countries’ universities in QS World University Rankings 2024 

27 Islamic countries were present in this ranking. Among these countries, Malaysia had the largest number of universities with 28, Indonesia with 26 and Türkiye with 25 ones.

 

The performance of Islamic countries in Young University Rankings 2023

There are 213 universities from 20 Islamic countries in Young University Rankings 2023, while in the previous year, 173 Islamic universities were not included in this ranking.

In terms of the number of universities present in this ranking, the countries of Türkiye, Iran and Pakistan with 47, 39 and 22 universities, respectively, won the first to third rank among Islamic countries.

 

The status of I.C.s universities in terms of the number and the best ranking in Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2023
	Country	2023	2022	The Best Rank			Country	2023	2022	The Best Rank
1	Türkiye	47	40	55		11	United Arab Emirates	6	5	38
2	Iran	39	37	65		12	Iraq	4	1	201-250
3	Pakistan	22	14	101-150		13	Jordan	4	4	151-200
4	Malaysia	17	13	79		14	Indonesia	3	3	401-500
5	Saudi Arabia	17	12	51		15	Bangladesh	1	0	201-250
6	Egypt	16	17	101-150		16	Brunei Darussalam	1	1	68
7	Algeria	11	9	98		17	Kazakhstan	1	1	401-500
8	Morocco	7	5	351-400		18	Oman	1	1	151-200
9	Nigeria	7	2	151-200		19	Palestine	1	1	101-150
10	Tunisia	7	6	301-350		20	Qatar	1	1	24

 

In terms of university ranking, Qatar University (24), United Arab Emirates University (38), Saudi Arabia's Al-Faisal University (51), Turkey's Koch University (55) and Iran's Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (65) are ranked first to fifth among Islamic countries.

The table below shows the status of Islamic Countries’ universities in this ranking.