4 Emirati universities among the top 100 in Asia 2026

Four Emirati universities were ranked among the top 100 universities in Asia, according to the latest Times Higher Education rankings of Asian universities 2026.

UAE University ranked 55th, Khalifa University of Science and Technology 57th, Abu Dhabi University 91st, and the University of Sharjah 97th.

In detail, 15 Emirati universities participated in the rankings, and eight of them were able to achieve a regional ranking among the top 150 universities in Asia, where Al Ain University ranked 134th, Zayed University ranked 140th, Ajman University ranked 141st, and the American University of Sharjah ranked 143rd.

The number of Asian universities that were classified was 929 out of 1,405 universities evaluated.

The Times World Classification of Asian Universities is based on 18 accurate performance indicators, designed to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons between universities, and is trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry sectors and governments around the world. These indicators are classified into five main areas, including: education (learning environment), scientific research environment (number of research, productivity, and academic reputation), quality of scientific research (influence of citations, strength of research, research excellence, and scientific impact), international openness (faculty members, students, and international research cooperation), in addition to industry (patents).

The classification showed that Chinese universities continued to dominate the top ten positions, maintaining first and second places, and the presence of five Chinese universities on the list of the top 10 universities in Asia. The list also included universities from Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong.

Tsinghua University came in first place, followed by Peking University in second place, then the National University of Singapore in third place, Nanyang Technological University – Singapore in fourth place, the University of Tokyo in fifth place, and Hong Kong University in sixth place, followed by Fudan University – Shanghai in seventh place, then Zhejiang University of China in eighth place, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in ninth place, while Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China came in tenth place.

The Cultural Advisor to His Highness the President of the State, Supreme President of the United Arab Emirates University, Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, confirmed that the UAEU is the number one university in the United Arab Emirates, and its ranking third at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and 55th at the level of universities in Asia, reflects the solid path that the university has followed since its founding, as the first comprehensive national university in the country, and its continuing mission in building people and creating knowledge.

The top 10 in the Gulf

The list of the top 10 Gulf universities included: King Fahd University, in first place, Qatar University, second, UAE University, third, Khalifa University, fourth, King Saud University, fourth bis, Abu Dhabi University, sixth, King Khalid University, seventh, University of Sharjah, eighth, Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University, ninth, and King Abdulaziz University, tenth.