QS Quacquarelli Symonds launched its extremely revered rankings of world universities on Thursday and establishments in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and across the Arab world noticed progress.
In global rankings, the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT) retained the highest place for the 14th consecutive yr, adopted by Imperial School London and Stanford College.
Greatest Arab universities revealed
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd College of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) was ranked as one of the best Arab college and achieved a brand new world milestone by coming into the record of the world’s prime 100 universities, rating 67th.
This development is a direct results of the college’s strategic transformation launched in 2020, throughout which it climbed from 2 hundredth to 67th place in simply 5 years.
The brand new QS rankings evaluated greater than 8,467 universities from throughout 106 places and the 2026 QS World College Rankings featured 107 universities from the Arab Area—25 greater than final yr.
King Fahd College of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) leads the Arab area, rising to 67th globally—the primary Arab establishment ever to enter the highest 100. Qatar College climbs to 112th, and King Saud College advances to 143rd, reinforcing the area’s rising affect on the worldwide greater training stage.
The QS methodology evaluates universities primarily based on key indicators, together with educational status (assessed by knowledgeable surveys on instructing and analysis high quality), employer status (measuring graduate employability), and faculty-to-student ratios (reflecting academic high quality).
Analysis impression is gauged by quotation metrics, whereas worldwide college and scholar ratios exhibit institutional range and world attraction.
Further metrics embody sustainability efficiency, contributions to the UN Sustainable Growth Objectives (SDGs), graduate employment outcomes, and worldwide analysis collaboration networks.
High Arab Establishments in QS World College Rankings 2026
- KFUPM in Saudi Arabia is now ranked 67 on the planet
- Qatar College in Qatar is now ranked 112 on the planet
- King Saud College in Saudi Arabia is now ranked 143 on the planet
- King Abdul Aziz College in Saudi Arabia is now ranked 163 on the planet
- Khalifa College in UAE is now ranked 177 on the planet
- United Arab Emirates College in UAE is now ranked 229 on the planet
- American College of Beirut in Lebanon is now ranked 237 on the planet
- Hamad Bin Khalifa College in Qatar is now ranked 244 on the planet
- American College of Sharjah in UAE is now ranked 272 on the planet
- College of Jordan in Jordan is now ranked 324 on the planet
- College of Sharjah in UAE is now ranked 328 on the planet
- Sultan Qaboos College in Oman is now ranked 334 on the planet
- Cairo College in Egypt is now ranked 337 on the planet
- The American College in Cairo in Egypt is now ranked 381 on the planet
- Abu Dhabi College in UAE is now ranked 391 on the planet
In whole, 42 % of ranked Arab universities improved their place, 32 per cent remained secure, and 26 % declined.
Eleven establishments seem within the rankings for the primary time—six from Jordan, 5 from Iraq, and three every from Lebanon and Oman.
Saudi Arabia provides two new entrants, and Palestine sees one establishment ranked for the primary time.
The UAE sees seven of its 12 universities rise in rank, with Khalifa College coming into the highest 200. Egypt added 5 new entries, whereas Cairo College climbed to 347th. Jordan and Iraq are among the many prime contributors of latest ranked universities worldwide.
Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, mentioned:”Solely 9 international locations added 5 or extra universities to the rankings this yr—and three of them are within the Arab area. This displays a quickly evolving ecosystem.”
Governments within the area are more and more linking greater training efficiency to nationwide targets.
Saudi Arabia goals for 5 universities within the prime 200 by 2030. The UAE aligns rankings with its Greater Schooling Technique 2030, and Egypt incorporates training as a central factor of its Imaginative and prescient 2030.
As world competitors intensifies QS underscores the significance of worldwide visibility, analysis collaboration, and graduate outcomes for sustaining momentum.
King Fahd College of Petroleum and Minerals is now listed as the primary ever Arab college to enter the worldwide prime 100.
Final yr, the college ranked a hundred and first, underscoring the outstanding progress made in only one yr.
College President Dr. Muhammad Al Saggaf famous that KFUPM’s entry into the worldwide prime 100 displays the college’s daring imaginative and prescient and the super assist it receives from the Kingdom’s management. He described this as a pivotal second within the college’s journey towards world prominence, with even better aspirations forward.
KFUPM’s complete transformation has spanned throughout educational, analysis, and administrative domains. Almost 100 new applications have been launched, together with revolutionary undergraduate and graduate choices. The college additionally launched the area’s first entrepreneurship program, granting college students and researchers full possession of their startups—a transfer that displays a contemporary, innovation-driven educational tradition targeted on financial empowerment.
Khalifa College of Science and Know-how is the very best ranked college within the UAE, leaping 25 locations to be ranked 177th globally.
For eight consecutive years, Khalifa College has remained the highest establishment within the UAE, reinforcing its standing as a nationwide chief in greater training and analysis.
Within the 2026 version, the college leads throughout a number of key indicators, together with eleventh on the planet for “Worldwide College,” prime within the UAE for “Citations per College” and “College Scholar Ratio”, affirming its management in attracting world expertise and producing high-impact scientific analysis.
Professor Ebrahim Al Hajri, President, Khalifa College, mentioned: “As world educational and analysis panorama evolves, our constant climb to succeed in the highest 200 within the 2026 QS World College Rankings reinforces Khalifa College’s standing as a driving power in science and know-how, notably amongst researchers and college students searching for world-class alternatives nearer to residence.
The 177th rank stays a testomony to our college and college students whose work continues to make a constructive impression, whereas highlighting our world rising presence. By way of our various educational neighborhood and our increasing worldwide and regional trade collaborations, we’re persistently contributing to assembly UAE’s ambitions in data economic system management.”
The 2026 QS World College Rankings recognised 5 Omani greater training establishments, together with Sultan Qaboos College, College of Nizwa, Dhofar College, Sohar College, and the German College of Know-how in Oman (GUtech).
Sultan Qaboos College achieved important progress, climbing 28 spots to safe the 334th place globally. This efficiency displays the regular development of Oman’s educational and analysis infrastructure, as reported by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the UK-based world greater training analyst, on its official 2026 rankings web site.
QS World College Rankings 2026
- Massachusetts Institute of Know-how (MIT), United States
- Imperial School London, United Kingdom
- Stanford College, United States
- College of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Harvard College, United States
- College of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Know-how), Switzerland
- Nationwide College of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
- UCL (College School London), United Kingdom
- California Institute of Know-how (Caltech), United States