QS 2026: Uzbekistan's higher education sector makes major leap forward

According to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, this year’s result shows a notable increase – five more universities compared to the previous year – placing Uzbekistan among the top nine countries with the highest number of new entrants in the QS rankings.

Uzbek universities featured in QS World University Rankings 2026:

•  TIIAME National Research University – ranked 469th (up from 547th in 2025)

•  National University of Uzbekistan – ranked 721–730 (up from 781–790 in 2025)

•  Tashkent State Technical University – ranked 901–950 (new entry)

•  Samarkand State University – ranked 1001–1200 (new entry)

•  Tashkent State University of Economics – ranked 1001–1200 (new entry)

•  Tashkent State Transport University – ranked 1201–1400 (new entry)

•  Tashkent University of Information Technologies – ranked 1401+ (new entry)

Additionally, four Uzbek universities ranked among the top 700 globally in the Graduate Employability indicator:

•  Tashkent State Technical University – 540th

•  National University of Uzbekistan – 545th

•  TIIAME National Research University – 644th

•  Tashkent State University of Economics – 660th

International experts have attributed this rapid rise in rankings to Uzbekistan’s ongoing systemic reforms in education quality, global collaboration, innovation, and institutional competitiveness. Sergey Khristolyubov, Regional Director at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, emphasized that these improvements are tangible results of strategic efforts in higher education.

In last year’s QS World University Rankings 2025, only two Uzbek universities – TIIAME National Research University and the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek – had made it into the top 1,000.

The QS World University Rankings, published annually since 2004 by the British independent education and consulting company Quacquarelli Symonds, is one of the most prestigious global university rankings, evaluating institutions based on nine key global indicators.