PU slips, private varsities rise in QS Asian rankings

The Panjab University (PU) slipped while private universities recorded an improvement in Quacquarelli Symonds' (QS) 2026 Asia University Rankings.

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PU ranked the (=)276 rank, down from (=)269 last year. The varsity had remained in the 301-350 bracket for four consecutive years before that. As per the ranking criteria, the PU bagged a score of 42.6 in the overall category, followed by 7.6 in inbound exchange, 95.8 in staff with PhD, 28.3 in faculty-student ratio, 35.7 in academic reputation, 45.3 in citations per paper, 63.8 in papers per faculty, 75.8 in international research network, 10.7 in international students, 6.9 in outbound exchange and 39.2 in employer reputation. "PU recorded a significant improvement in its overall performance. The university achieved an overall score of 42.6 in 2026, up from 31.3 in 2025," said a varsity spokesperson, adding, "The university secured rank 276 in Asia in 2026. While this marks a marginal positional shift due to an increased number of institutions participating in the rankings this year, the substantial rise in PU's performance scores clearly demonst