Two UAE universities among Top 15 in the Arab world

The American University of Sharjah was named among the Top 15 universities in the Arab world. Sarah Dea /T he National

ABU DHABI // Two universities in the UAE have been named among the Top 15 in the Arab world, according to the Times Higher Education.

The UAE University was named the fifth best university in the Arab world and the American University of Sharjah came in eighth place. The King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia was No. 1.

Saudi Arabia was the top performer on the list, with three institutions in the top five, including King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and King Saud University, which placed third and fourth respectively.

Egypt also had three universities rank among the Top 15, with Suez Canal, Alexandria and Cairo universities taking the 10th, 11th and 12th place, respectively.

Overall eight countries are represented in the Top 15 table, including Lebanon, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Morocco.

The snapshot ranking has been released ahead of next week’s Times Higher Education’s Mena Universities Summit. The ranking is drawn from data used to compile the World University Rankings 2015-16. It was calculated using the same 13 performance indicators as in the overall rankings methodology, but only institutions in the 22 member states of the Arab League were eligible for inclusion.

“This top 15 ranking gives us a fascinating insight into the strongest university players in the Arab world, but it is just a snapshot to stimulate wider discussions about the most appropriate metrics for ranking the region’s universities,” said Phil Baty, Times Higher Education World University Rankings editor. “We are consulting with the sector about the creation of formal, bespoke rankings for the region, using metrics tailored to regional priorities and university missions.”

The Top 15:

1. King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia

2. American University of Beirut, Lebanon

3. King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia

4. King Saud University, Saudi Arabia

5. UAE University, UAE

6. Qatar University, Qatar

7. Sultan Qaboos University, Oman

8. American University of Sharjah, UAE

9. Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan

10. Suez Canal University, Egypt

11. Alexandria University, Egypt

12. Cairo University, Egypt

13. The University of Jordan, Jordan

14. University of Marrakech Cadi Ayyad, Morocco

15. Mohammed V University of Rabat, Morocco

Courtesy: Times Higher Education