University ranking systems, as a mechanism for evaluating higher education performance, are defined by a set of indicators and metrics such as educational quality, faculty quality, and research output, determining the standing of universities at national and international levels. By providing comparative data, this system can act as a driver for planning and policymaking to narrow the gap with top universities and elevate the quality of education and research; however, the presented analyses indicate that ranking alone is not the best path for improving higher education quality and, in many cases, due to an excessive emphasis on publication quantity and promotional criteria, pays insufficient attention to the quality of research content and the university's role in solving real societal problems. Moreover, many indicators exhibit linguistic and disciplinary biases, limiting fair competition particularly in the humanities and non-comprehensive universities. On the other hand, the actual conditions for rank improvement heavily depend on higher education infrastructure and budgets, and without securing adequate resources, ranking advancement turns into an unrealistic policy. Proposed strategies emphasize revising evaluation criteria with a focus on educational quality and solving societal problems, clarifying university missions and expectations, strengthening alternative internal and external evaluations, avoiding the quantitative expansion of higher education, and paying special attention to non-Tehran universities through resource allocation and legal mechanisms.