Accra:First paragraph The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced that 42 Iraqi universities, including those in the Kurdistan Region, have been included in the 2027 QS Arab Region University Rankings. These universities are part of a total of 298 Arab institutions featured in the list released on October 15.

According to Iraqi News Agency, the Ministry stated that the University of Baghdad ranked first among the Iraqi universities included, followed by Al-Mustansiriya University, the University of Anbar, Al-Nahrain University, and the University of Kufa.

The number of Iraqi universities in the ranking has increased from 36 in the previous edition to 42, indicating a growing presence within the regional ranking framework. The QS Arab Region University Rankings, initiated in 2014, assess higher education institutions based on ten key indicators such as academic and employer reputation, faculty-to-student ratio, and international research network.

Additional factors considered in the evaluation include the university’s online presence, the percentage of faculty with PhDs, research paper citations, research output per faculty member, and the percentages of international faculty and students. The ranking also uses data from the Scopus database to assess research performance, including scientific citations and research output, alongside the other criteria for determining the final results.