Two UAE universities ranked among Arab region's top five in new list

Universities from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Emirates dominate in higher education league table released on Friday

The UAE's Khalifa University of Science and Technology came fourth in the QS World University Rankings: Arab Region 2025. Photo: Wam

Universities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia have cemented their position as the region's best after taking up four of the top five positions in a new education league table.

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, which has an acceptance rate of 4 per cent, is the number one higher education institution in the Arab world for the second year in a row in the QS World University Rankings: Arab Region 2025, released by global higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds on Friday.

The UAE's Khalifa University of Science and Technology was in fourth place, up from seventh last year and United Arab Emirates University came fifth, a rise from sixth in the 2024 listings. Qatar University clinched second spot, up from third, while Saudi Arabia's King Saud University was placed in third, down from second.

“The UAE's performance in this ranking is exceptional, positioning it as a standout in the Arab region for its highly international faculty and student cohorts, strong research output and ability to attract global talent," said Ben Sowter, senior vice president at QS.

“Emirati universities excel across the board, achieving the region’s highest average scores in six of QS's 10 indicators. Its overall score also ranks as the highest in the region, underscoring the significant concentration of academic quality within the country. While the UAE’s research agenda is among the most impactful, its academic reputation, though strong, does not yet fully reflect the scale of its academic achievements.”

What changed in this year's league table?

Historically famous universities such as the American University of Beirut, founded in 1866, featured lower down on the list of the top 20 universities in the Arab region, dropping down to sixth from fourth place last year. The American University in Cairo featured in 13th, having come 11th in 2024's list.

"Traditional leaders such as The American University in Cairo, American University of Beirut and American University of Sharjah have not done as well in these rankings – even though their reputation among students, parents and the local community continues to be very strong,” said Senthil Nathan, managing director and co-founder of Edu Alliance, a higher education consultancy based in the UAE and US. “Some of these universities have been there for more than 100 years, which means they have done things well and have built a reputation. Their alumni are ministers and prime ministers all over the region."

Dr Nathan said King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals had focused on building its artificial intelligence capabilities and all its students studied AI at some level. The university has also been boosted since it opened admissions for women in 2021.

“King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals’ rise is fully justifiable – as the university has been on a major transformation and has AI-driven initiatives over the past four years," he said. “But what has happened in just in three or four years now is that 40 per cent of its undergraduate students, mostly in engineering, are women. That is a tremendous thing.

“When universities do something major thing, it is understandable that they get recognition. No university in the region comes close to it in terms of acceptance. It's a very low acceptance rate, which means it's highly popular and lots of students want to join but only four out of 100 get in."

Global recognition

At 176th, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia was the best-ranked higher education institution in the Arab region in Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, published last week, while UAE University ranked in the 251-300 segment.

Mr Sowter said the Arab region was steadily enhancing its academic standing, driven by a network of international partnerships and research to boost its global reputation.

The 2025 QS rankings span 20 Arabic countries and analyses 246 universities. Each was ranked based on academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, international research network, universities’ online presence, the proportion of faculty members holding a doctorate or equivalent, number of citations, and international faculty and students.

Seven institutions across the region made the top 250 of the QS World University Rankings 2025, announced this year, with three from Saudi Arabia and two from Qatar making up the top five in the Middle East. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals led the way in 101st position – up from 180th last year – out of 1,500 universities worldwide.