UAE universities hit record QS Rankings 2027: Eight institutions achieve all-time highs

Dubai: For the first time, a UAE institution has broken into the global top 150. Khalifa University climbed from 177th to 147th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, released on June 18, a landmark result for the country's higher education sector. Overall, nine of the UAE's 12 ranked universities improved their positions this year, while three dropped.

The University of Sharjah has entered the top 300 for the first time, and Ajman University has risen into the top 400, further signs of the system's broad-based progress.

QS World University rankings 2027: Top 8 UAE universities performance

• Khalifa University - 147th (record high, up from 177th) Ranks 87th for Citations per Faculty and 12th for International Faculty. Has climbed from the 401–410 band in 2017 over the past decade, an extraordinary rise spanning more than 250 places.

• United Arab Emirates University - 217th (record high) Among the top 300 for a seventh consecutive year. Ranked 23rd for International Faculty and 79th for Employment Outcomes. Was in the 411–420 band in 2017.

• American University of Sharjah - 258th (record high) In the top 300 for the second consecutive year. Ranked 5th for International Faculty and 14th for International Students. Climbed from 441–450 in 2017.

• University of Sharjah - 299th (first-ever top-300 entry) Ranked 10th for International Faculty and 199th for Citations per Faculty - second only to Khalifa University in the UAE in that area. Improved in Employer Reputation, Academic Reputation, and International Research

  Network. Was in the 651–700 band a decade ago.

• Abu Dhabi University - 348th (record high) Entered the top 400 for the first time last year and has advanced further. Ranked outside the global top 700 as recently as 2022.

• Ajman University - 397th (first-ever top-400 entry) Debuted in 2019 at the 801–1000 band. Now at its best-ever position.

• Zayed University - 588th (record high) First entered the rankings in 2019 at 701–750. University of Dubai, which debuted in 2023, has also risen to a record high this year.

The growth and global standing of higher education in the UAE

Across the QS rankings, the UAE is the 32nd most represented higher education system.

The QS Ranking states that 75 per cent of institutions improving, the UAE is joint-fifth globally for proportion of institutions rising among systems with at least three entries.  Five years ago, the UAE had three institutions in the global top 500. It now has six, doubling its representation at that level in half a decade.

"The UAE is going from strength to strength, with eight of its 12 ranked institutions achieving record positions in 2027. In just five years, the UAE has doubled its number of entries in the top 500 to six. It is one region that has continued to improve both its research capabilities and the quality of its tertiary education." Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President, Sector Intelligence, QS, said.

Key performance indicators: Where UAE universities lead globally

UAE institutions lead the world on average in the International Faculty indicator.

Al Ain University holds the number one spot globally, while American University of Ras Al Khaimah rose eight places to rank joint first. In total, nine UAE institutions rank in the world's top 10 in this area, with all 12 featuring in the top 25.

The UAE also ranks fifth globally in the International Students indicator among comparable systems, with eight universities in the top 100.

Where the UAE performs strongly:

• Employer reputation - 16th in the world

• Employment outcomes -19th in the world

• Citations per faculty - 21st in the world

Areas where global peers are outperforming UAE institutions on average are in academic reputation, faculty students, sustainability and international research.  It is in employment outcomes and citations per faculty where the majority of UAE universities made gains in 2027.

About the QS World University Rankings

The QS World University Rankings 2027 evaluated more than 1,500 institutions across 106 countries and territories. This year's analysis drew on 21 million research papers, 222 million citations, and 1.6 million academic survey responses, with data from 8,808 institutions and insights from 121,024 academics and 69,432 employers. MIT retained its top position for the 15th consecutive year, followed jointly by Imperial College London and Stanford University.