The key facts

  • QS Asia 2027 includes 1,722 universities from 26 countries; Uzbekistan is represented by 38 universities, 15 of them for the first time
  • Samarkand State University rose from 307th to 215th place, Namangan Technical from 951–1000 to 46th... 469th
  • Universities' strengths are employer reputation and international exchange; weaknesses are citations and publications per faculty member

Rating results

QS Quacquarelli Symonds has published the QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027. It includes 1,722 universities from 26 Asian countries and territories; Uzbekistan is represented by 38 universities, including 15 first-time participants, and the country's indicators improved by 17% — as reported by Gazeta citing the ranking data.

Who rose and who fell

The highest position among Uzbek universities was retained by TIIAME — 113th place, although compared with last year it dropped 10 spots (103rd in 2026). Mirzo Ulugbek National University also declined: from 180th to 196th. Meanwhile, Samarkand State University rose 92 positions — from 307th to 215th, and Namangan State Technical University showed the most significant growth, gaining 245 positions to take 469th place, up from the 951–1000 band a year earlier. The regional top-600 also includes Tashkent State University of Economics (255th), Tashkent State Technical University (281st), Tashkent University of Information Technologies (549th), Tashkent State Transport University (553rd), Nizami National Pedagogical University (578th) and Urgench State University (590th), which returned to the top-600 from 632nd place.

Strengths and weaknesses

The ranking is based on assessments across 11 criteria adapted to the specifics of the region and differs from the global QS World University Rankings. According to QS, Uzbek universities are strong in the criteria 'Employer Reputation', 'International Faculty' and 'Student Exchange', whereas the lowest scores were recorded for citations per publication and publications per faculty member — research productivity remains the main challenge. QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter called Uzbekistan 'one of the most dynamically developing higher education systems in this year's ranking' and linked further progress to building up research capacity.

The overall picture

The University of Hong Kong retained first place in Asia, Peking University came second, and third place went to Tsinghua University, which rose nine positions. The top-20 consists of universities from Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia. Central Asia is represented in the ranking by 99 universities from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.