2025 QS Rankings: Iraqi Universities Achieve Striking Gains

The 2025 QS World University Rankings highlight the presence of five Iraqi universities, with notable progress by the University of Baghdad, which has ascended into the 801-850 band from its previous 951-1000 placement. The rankings for the other four Iraqi universities—Mustansiriyah University, University of Kufa, University of Basrah, and University of Babylon—remain stable within their respective bands.

Iraq’s academic landscape has experienced a boost in both Academic and Employer Reputation, reflecting growing recognition and value. Particularly in Employer Reputation, three Iraqi universities have made it into the top half of the rankings. The University of Baghdad stands out, ranking 754th in Academic Reputation and 509th in Employer Reputation.

Cross-border research collaboration is a bright spot in Iraq, with four out of five universities improving in this metric. The University of Baghdad again leads, ranking 580th globally in this indicator.

Employment outcomes are a strong suit for the University of Baghdad, which ranks 148th worldwide, indicating effective preparation of graduates for the workforce. Mustansiriyah University excels in Faculty per Student Ratio, ranking 299th, though the University of Kufa falls to 535th in this measure.

Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said “Few countries boast as rich a historical heritage in higher education as Iraq … despite challenges, Iraq’s tertiary education has seen rapid expansion and notable improvements in recent years, aided by international support from institutions like the World Bank. This progress is reflected in its performance in this year’s ranking, showing moderate improvement, with particularly strong results in Academic and Employer Reputation—two of the most heavily weighted QS indicators.” 

Sowter also emphasises the need for further enhancement of research infrastructure and cross-border partnerships to continue the sector’s revitalisation.

The 2025 QS World University Rankings evaluated 1,500 universities from 106 countries, using data from 5,600 institutions and insights from nearly 176,000 academics and over 105,000 employers, covering 17 million research papers and 176 million citations.

Source: QS Top Universities