Over 80 Iranian Universities Shine in THE WUR 2025 Rankings by Subject!

The latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings (WUR) for 2025 has highlighted the impressive performance of Iranian universities, placing 81 of them among the top institutions globally across various academic disciplines. This marks a notable increase from 73 universities in 2024, showcasing Iran’s growing educational landscape.

This year’s rankings cover ten academic subject areas, including:

• Arts and Humanities
• Business and Economics
• Clinical and Health
• Computer Science
• Education
• Engineering
• Life Sciences
• Physical Sciences
• Psychology
• Social Sciences

The only subject area not included in the 2025 rankings is Law.

The evaluation process utilized by THE includes 18 meticulously selected performance indicators that assess institutions based on five core pillars:

1. Teaching: Measures teaching reputation, student-to-staff ratio, and institutional income.
2. Research Environment: Focuses on research reputation, income, and productivity.
3. Research Quality: Includes citation impact and research excellence.
4. Industry: Evaluates income from industry partnerships and patents.
5. International Outlook: Accounts for international students, staff, and co-authorship.

Top Rankings in Various Disciplines

Iran’s universities have particularly excelled in the fields of Computer Science and Engineering.

Arts and Humanities

This year, 750 universities from 72 countries were evaluated in the Arts and Humanities category. The rankings for Iranian institutions are as follows:

• University of Tehran (401-500)
• Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (501-600)
• Shahid Beheshti University (501-600)
• Allameh Tabatabaei University (601)
• University of Isfahan (601)

Business and Economics

In the Business and Economics subject area, which included 990 institutions from 85 countries, the top Iranian universities are:

• University of Tehran (201-250)
• Sharif University of Technology (301-400)
• Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (401-500)
• Iran University of Science and Technology (401-500)
• Shahid Beheshti University (501-600)

Computer Science

In the Computer Science rankings, 1,122 institutions from 83 countries were evaluated. The leading Iranian universities are:

• Sharif University of Technology (151-175)
• University of Tehran (201-250)
• Amirkabir University of Technology (251-300)
• Iran University of Science and Technology (301-400)
• Isfahan University of Technology (401-500)
• University of Tabriz (401-500)

Engineering

In the Engineering category, which evaluated 1,488 institutions from 97 countries, the rankings for Iranian universities are:

• Sharif University of Technology (151-175)
• University of Tehran (201-250)
• Iran University of Science and Technology (251-300)

Life Sciences and Medical Fields

The Life Sciences rankings include 1,143 institutions from 98 countries, where:

• Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
• Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
• University of Tehran (401-500 globally)

In the Medical and Health category, also notable, 1,150 institutions from 102 countries were evaluated. The top Iranian universities are:

• Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (301-400)
• Tehran University of Medical Sciences (301-400)
• Qazvin University of Medical Sciences (401-500)
• Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (401-500)

Physical Sciences

The Physical Sciences rankings included 1,447 institutions from 107 countries. The leading Iranian universities are:

• Iran University of Science and Technology (301-400)
• Sharif University of Technology (301-400)
• University of Tehran (301-400)

Psychology and Social Sciences

In the Psychology category, which evaluated 654 institutions from 66 countries, the rankings are:

• University of Tehran (401-500)
• Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (501-600)
• Iran University of Medical Sciences (501-600)

Finally, the Social Sciences category included 1,093 institutions from 100 countries, with the following rankings:

• University of Tehran (301-400)
• University of Tabriz (401-500)
• Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (501-600)

Recent Rankings and Contributions

In addition to the WUR, the THE Interdisciplinary Science Rankings (ISR) recognized 29 Iranian universities for their contributions to interdisciplinary science research, evaluating a total of 749 universities from 92 countries.

In the ISR, the top Iranian institution is:

• University of Tehran (77 globally)
• Shiraz University (132 globally)
• Razi University (174 globally)
• Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (187 globally)

Furthermore, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings recognized 32 Iranian universities in 2025, an increase from 31 in 2024. The top Iranian universities in this ranking are:

• University of Tehran (87 globally)
• Sharif University of Technology (97 globally)
• Amirkabir University of Technology (114 globally)

Overall, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 illustrates the ongoing development and enhancement of higher education in Iran, with 85 universities recognized compared to 75 in the previous year. This year, 2,092 universities were ranked from 115 countries, showcasing the competitive nature of global higher education.

With a robust evaluation methodology that includes 18 performance indicators, the rankings underscore the commitment of Iranian institutions to excel in teaching, research, and international collaboration.