36% of the 25 best Arab universities in 2026 are Emirati

Emirati universities ranked first in the list of the top 25 Arab universities for the year 2026, with nine universities, equivalent to 36% of the universities on the list, compared to six Saudi universities, three Lebanese universities, two universities each in Egypt and Jordan, and one university each in Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and Kuwait. Two Emirati universities were also among the top five universities in the Arab world, and six universities were among the top 15 universities, which reflects Regional leadership of UAE universities in the fields of education, scientific research and innovation.

In detail, the 12th edition of the “QS 2026” classification of Arab universities, “Quaquarelli Symond International QS”, which was reviewed by “Emirates Today”, included evaluations of 298 higher education institutions from various Arab countries. The evaluation was based on indicators of academic reputation, reputation in the labor market, “graduates’ reputation with employers”, international research cooperation, the circle of its digital influence, measures of research prowess, teaching resources, internationalization, the influence of the Internet, and the percentage of academic staff members. For students and the percentage of academic staff who hold doctoral degrees.

According to the results of the latest QS Arab University Rankings report, Khalifa University of Science and Technology ranked first in the country and third in the Arab world, UAE University ranked fifth, American University of Sharjah ranked ninth, Abu Dhabi University ranked 11th, Ajman University ranked 12th, University of Sharjah ranked 14th, Canadian University Dubai ranked 21st, Zayed University ranked 23rd, and Al Ain University ranked first. The 25th.

The ranking included six other Emirati universities, where the American University of Dubai came in 47th place, the American University of Ras Al Khaimah in the list of universities located between 51 to 60, the British University in Dubai in the list of universities from 71 to 80, the University of Dubai between 81 to 90, and the American University in the Emirates between 101 to 110, in addition to the University of Fujairah, where it came among the universities located between 151 to 160.

UAE universities achieved first places in the list of the top 10 universities in the proportion of international faculty members, and in the category of international students, where Khalifa University achieved excellence in the standards of international faculty members, the ratio of faculty members to students, the number of research papers per faculty member, and the number of employees holding a doctorate degree. The United Arab Emirates University also achieved distinction in the standards of academic reputation, the influence of the Internet, and international research networks, while the American University of Sharjah topped the list of reputation among employers.

Top 25 Arab universities

The list of the top 25 Arab universities included King Fahd University of Petroleum in first place in the Arab world, and in successive places came Qatar University, “Khalifa University”, “King Saud University”, “United Arab Emirates”, “American University” in Beirut, “King Abdulaziz University”, “Sultan Qaboos University” of Oman, “American University of Sharjah”, “Jordanian University”, and “Abu Dhabi”. “Ajman”, “Cairo American”, “Sharjah”, “Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal”, “Jordanian Science and Technology”, “King Khalid”, “Prince Mohammed bin Fahd”, “American Middle East” in Kuwait, “Cairo”, “Canadian” in Dubai, “Lebanese”, “Zayed”, “Lebanese American”, and finally “Al Ain”. In 25th place.