Iran has crossed a new milestone in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, with 101 Iranian universities included its first ever three-digit showing. The country’s participation has steadily grown from 63 universities in 2023 to 75 in 2024, 85 in 2025, and now 101. Two institutions overseen by the Ministry of Science, […]
Iran has crossed a new milestone in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026, with 101 Iranian universities included its first ever three-digit showing. The country’s participation has steadily grown from 63 universities in 2023 to 75 in 2024, 85 in 2025, and now 101.
Two institutions overseen by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology the University of Tehran and Sharif University of Technology appear within the global top 500. A further twelve universities are ranked between 501–1000 worldwide:
Hailing the results, Peyman Salehi, Deputy Minister for Scientific Affairs, called the achievement “a major source of pride” for Iran’s academic community, noting it was reached despite financial constraints and international sanctions. He attributed the progress to long-term policies aimed at strengthening universities’ core missions, raising research quality, expanding international cooperation, and increasing universities’ role in solving national challenges. Continued, targeted support, he said, will further elevate Iran’s standing in global science and technology.
Read also: Iran in the Global Innovation Index 2025: 8th in Market Size, 14th in Patents-to-GDP
THE evaluates universities annually across five pillars Teaching, Research, Citations, Industry Income, and International Outlook. With 101 institutions now represented, Iran consolidates its regional leadership and signals sustained momentum toward national science, technology, and innovation goals.