University of Panama strengthens international academic presence

The University of Panama (UP) concluded 2025 with a strengthened international academic profile, demonstrating notable advancements in indicators related to scientific research, academic output, training, innovation, social impact, internationalization, and sustainability. These achievements are detailed in the report “La Universidad de Panamá en los Rankings Académicos. Año 2025,” compiled by Samantha Benítez and Rómulo Escobar from the university's planning and evaluation directorate.

Among its key accomplishments, UP remains listed in the QS World University Rankings for 2026, situated in the 1401+ band. Regionally, the university achieved a rank between 181-190 in the QS Latin America & The Caribbean University Rankings and placed 30th in Central America. These rankings consider factors such as academic and employer reputation, faculty qualifications, publications, citations, international collaboration, and web impact. Additionally, UP earned a QS Stars rating, a distinction achieved through an institutional audit, making it the sole university in Panama and second in the region to receive this recognition.

The SCImago Institutions Rankings 2025, which assesses institutions based on research, innovation, and social impact, highlighted UP's continued prominence. For the fourth consecutive year, the university held the top position among Panamanian institutions and improved its global and Latin American standing. It advanced from 2515th worldwide in 2024 to 1984th in 2025, and in Latin America, it moved from 152nd to 92nd place.

UP also leads nationally in various subject areas, including Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Plant Sciences, Chemistry, and Social Sciences and Geography. Its scientific production shows significant international reach, with articles published in 114 journals across 22 countries during the analyzed period, and 56.14% of these publications were in open-access journals. Furthermore, UP has maintained its leading position among Panamanian universities in the Nature Index since 2022, an indicator that measures contributions to high-quality natural science and health publications.