Dubai: Times Higher Education on Wednesday revealed the top 15 universities in the Arab world, with UAE University ranked fifth.
The report was released ahead of next week’s Times Higher Education’s Mena Universities Summit, held from February 2-4, 2016, which will see world-class speakers discuss topics such as international collaboration and the role of governance at universities in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
The report ranked UAE University fifth while American University of Sharjah was in eighth place.
“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, editor of Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Saudi Arabia topped the list with three institutions in the top five. King Abdulaziz University was ranked first while its national rivals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals and King Saud University, were third and fourth respectively.
Three Egyptian institutions — Suez Canal, Alexandria and Cairo universities — were also included but in the bottom half of the list, taking 10th, 11th and 12th place respectively.
Overall, eight countries are represented in the Top 15 table, including Lebanon, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Morocco.
The ranking was drawn from data used to compile the World University Rankings for 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.
“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. This will be one of the main topics of discussion at the Mena Universities Summit in the United Arab Emirates next week,” Baty said.
