Universities from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been ranked the best in the Arab world in a new global higher education league table.
Seven institutions across the region made the top 250 of the QS World University Rankings 2025, 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.
Qatar University is the second highest-ranked university in the Arab world, rising more than 50 places from 173rd to 122nd in the list.
King Abdulaziz University, in Saudi Arabia, was ranked 149th, down from 143rd last year.
Qatar's Hamad bin Khalifa University climbed more than 100 places, from 310th to 183rd.
King Saud University, in Saudi Arabia, was ranked 200th.
Khalifa University of Science and Technology was the top performer in the UAE, ranking sixth in the region and 202nd overall, up from 230th in the 2024 rankings, released on Tuesday.
“Our programmes are specifically designed with an eye on the employability of our graduates,” Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University, recently told The National.
“In addition, we are also actively engaged in research innovation, working closely with industry partners to ensure that impactful research is taken all the way through commercialisation.
“We focus on not only improving our rankings every year but fostering interdisciplinary collaborations and attracting world class expertise and talent creation.”
United Arab Emirates University improved its position from 290 last year to 261 this year.
American University of Sharjah improved from 364th spot last year to 332nd.
University of Sharjah rose from 465th to 434 year-on-year.
How have universities in the region performed?
The Arab region has 82 universities in the latest rankings, with 43 climbing the league table this year.
Universities were judged on academic reputation, employer’s reputation, faculty staff ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international students ratio, sustainability score, employment outcomes’ score and an international research network score.
In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia is the dominant higher education system with 20 ranked universities, four of which are new entries, and have 85 per cent of their universities in the top 1,000.
UAE’s twelve ranked universities all featured in the top 1,000 and improved their overall performance by 75 per cent, with a slight decline in some cases.
Saudi Arabia exceeds the global average in two performance indicators, for faculty staff ratio and international faculty ratio.
Qatar's two ranked universities exceeded the global average in all nine indicators measured.
Which countries have the best universities?
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology cemented its position as the world's best university for a 13th consecutive year.
Imperial College London was second, up from sixth last year.
The University of Oxford and Harvard University placed third and fourth respectively, while The University of Cambridge made up the top five.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was the only university to break into the world’s top 10 in this edition. The university jumped from 15th to 10th.
Switzerland and Singapore are the only countries besides the UK and the US to feature in the top 10, with ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and National University of Singapore (NUS) placing seventh and eighth respectively.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
The specs
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Power: 420 bhp
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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