Comparative study of the status of Iran’s medical universities according to Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 & 2019

A long-term vision is essential for create world-class universities and implementation. In the current competitive environment, universities must achieve a high level of performance, leading to the production of innovative products and rewarding society demands. In order to have a proper strategy and plan for economic and social development, we should evaluate the performance of the universities. In this research, analytical and descriptive methods have been used. In order to determine the status of universities, the existing records are reviewed through search of valid internet sites and the study of the latest articles and related documents. Then, according to the 2018 and 2019 ranking of the Times, descriptive statistics for comparing the world's top universities in Iran have used. According to the 2018 ranking of the Times, 18 universities and 29 university of Iran According to the 2019 ranking of the Times were among top world universities. Babol Noshirvani University of Technology has ranked first in national. In terms of teaching (education), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in terms of research, University of Amirkabir and Sharif University of Technology Iran, in terms of the citation, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, in terms of industrial income, Sharif University, and in terms of international outlook of Ferdowsi Universities of Mashhad and Tehran University were ranked first in the national. In terms of the ratio of of students - professor, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, in terms of the percentage of international students, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, were located in the first place. Purposeful and structured assessment of the performance of universities is one of the components necessary for the survival of universities and the educational system of the country. Therefore, ranking is essential to determine the path, identify the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the competitive advantage between the universities of the country and the world.