Nine Peruvian universities in QS 2026: Which are they? What makes them stand out?

Photo: ANDINA/Gustavo Sánchez

09:00 | Lima, Jun. 20.

By: Jhaen Miranda

Nine universities from Peru have appeared in the latest QS World University Rankings 2026, up from eight last year.

MIT remains in first place, followed by Imperial College and Stanford University in second and third place.

The new ranking by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) features nine Peruvian universities, up from eight last year.

Likewise, it shows the progress of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), which improved its position by rising from 359th to 345th — its second-best ranking ever, after reaching 336th place in 2024.

PUCP's advancement positions it not only as the best university in the country, but also as the 11th best-ranked in Latin America, according to results presented by the British firm, specialized in global higher education assessment.

"Peru is the sixth most represented country from Latin America in the 2026 QS World University Rankings. With Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, it is also home to the region's 11th top ranked university," QS Senior Vice President Ben Sowter stated.

PUCP consolidates national leadership

Among PUCP's most notable aspects are its good results in Academic Reputation, where it climbed eight positions to rank 161st worldwide.

Similarly, it improved 47 places in the Employment Outcomes indicator (ranked 338th) and advanced 91 places in the Faculty Student Ratio, reaching 384th.

Although it fell by 26 places in Employer Reputation (158th), it remains within the global elite in this indicator.

It is the only Peruvian university that appears within the global top 200 in all indicators.

New competitors

This year also marked the entry of Universidad Científica del Sur into the ranking, placing between positions 1201–1400. Its best performance was in the Faculty Student Ratio, where it ranked 244th worldwide, the best national mark in this indicator.

Two other Peruvian universities recorded improvements in the Employment Outcomes indicator as well: the National University of San Marcos rose eight positions (to 321st), and the University of Lima climbed one place to 548th.

In the same Faculty Student Ratio indicator, the Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University also stood out by rising 35 places and ranking 305th globally.

Structural challenges

Despite these advances, the QS report highlights several structural gaps in Peru's university system.

"Without strategic planning, institutions in Peru risk falling further behind other university systems in the world," Ben Sowter said.

• Academic Reputation: Only PUCP improved; San Marcos and UPC are among the top 800, but without significant progress.

• Citations per Faculty: All Peruvian universities are outside the top 800 in this indicator, with one of the lowest average scores globally.

• Employer Reputation: Although PUCP remains in the top 200, the other national universities registered declines in their rankings.

• Global Engagement: With the exception of UPC (ranked 766th in International Faculty), all universities are outside the top 800 in this area.

• Sustainability: PUCP continues to lead in this indicator, but fell 60 places to 507th. Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University was the only one to improve, rising 31 places to 641st.

The QS World University Rankings evaluates more than 1,500 universities worldwide and considers indicators such as Academic Reputation, Research & Discovery, Employability, Learning Experience, Sustainability, and Global Engagement.

(END) NDP/JMP/MVB

Published: 6/20/2025

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Nine Peruvian universities in QS 2026: Which are they? What makes them stand out?

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