The end of the ascendancy of Iranian universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings is a bitter news for the scientific community of the country. While the number of Iranian universities in this ranking increased from 8 universities in 2016 to 90 universities in 2026, in the 2027 Times ranking, this number has decreased to 75 universities.
Challenges Ahead and Their Impacts
This unfortunate change clearly reflects the impact of financial and infrastructural problems, limitations on international collaborations, and communication disruptions on university activities. In recent years, the increase in article production and the activities of Iranian researchers were the main factors for the expansion of the presence of the country's universities in global rankings. However, these factors have not been able to withstand the existing crises.
Balance in Rankings
The number of Iranian universities present in this ranking has decreased for the first time after a decade of upward trend; the number of Iranian universities has dropped from 90 in the 2026 Times ranking to 75 in the 2027 Times ranking, equivalent to a 16.7% decrease. Amir Kabir University of Technology, Iran University of Science and Technology, and Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences are the top 10 universities in this ranking. However, the positions of the country's top universities have also faced a decline.
Examining the leaders in the Times ranking at the highest levels reveals a change in the arrangement of the leaders of higher education in the country. Last year, three representatives from Iran were among the top 400 universities in the world, but in the new edition, no Iranian universities are mentioned in this section.
Alongside these changes, 22 universities have been removed from the 2027 Times ranking, including 6 universities from the Ministry of Science and 15 medical universities. Tarbiat Modares University, which was present in the ranking for the first time last year, has been removed again this year. Additionally, Urmia University of Technology, which was ranked between 1201-1500 last year, has no rank this year.
It should be noted that among these, 7 new universities have been added to the 2027 Times list, but this entry has not compensated for the exit of 22 universities. Ultimately, despite these challenges, Iran University of Science and Technology and Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences were the only universities that managed to improve their rankings.
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