The latest edition of the QS Asia University Rankings, now in its 16th year, assessed 985 universities across 25 countries and territories. Of these, 127 institutions appeared in the rankings for the first time. Among the Uzbek universities listed, 11 improved their rankings, two retained their positions, nine made their debut, and one dropped in standing. This development places Uzbekistan among the Asian countries with the most substantial advancements in higher education rankings.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation of Uzbekistan highlighted the significance of the achievement, noting that it underscores the country’s commitment to advancing its academic and research standards. The rankings utilize 11 indicators to evaluate university performance, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, and research impact. Key metrics, such as Scopus-indexed publications and international faculty and student ratios, are also considered.

QS Asia University Rankings factors include:

•  Academic reputation (30%)
•  Employer assessment (20%)
•  Faculty-to-student ratio (10%)
•  International research collaboration (10%)
•  Citations per paper (10%)
•  Papers per faculty (5%)
•  Faculty with PhDs (5%)
•  International faculty ratio (2.5%)
•  International student ratio (2.5%)
•  Inbound exchange students (2.5%)
•  Outbound exchange students (2.5%)

Uzbekistan's rising profile in these rankings is part of a recent upward trend. In 2022, only eight Uzbek universities were listed, a number that increased to 14 in 2023. Earlier this year, two Uzbek universities — the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers National Research University and the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek — were also included in the QS World University Rankings, placing in the top 1,000 globally.