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Saudi Arabia is number one again, but the Gulf region loses grip on top 10 in the Times Higher Education Arab University Rankings 2024.?

• King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia is number one for the second year in a row?

• Saudi Arabia takes all top three places and has five universities in the top 10?

• Jordan enters top 10 for first time with The University of Jordan in ninth position?

• Egypt rejoins top 10 with Cairo University in eighth place?

• Gulf states dominate top 10 but no longer have monopoly at top of the table?

• Iraq is now most-represented country with 45 ranked institutions?

• UAE¡¯s average overall score, 64, is the highest in the region, based on countries with at least?10 universities ranked?

• A record 238 universities are ranked, up from 207?

• 16 countries ranked, up from 15?

• Syria makes its debut in the ranking?

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Top 10 universities overall in the THE Arab University Rankings 2024?

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Jordan and Egypt show growing strength as they join the top 10 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Arab University Rankings 2024. While Saudi Arabia leads the rankings with the top three spots, and Qatar and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are also represented in the top 10, there is no longer a Gulf region monopoly at the top of the table.?

The University of Jordan is in ninth place, up from joint 16th, making it the first Jordan institution to achieve a top-10 position. Meanwhile, Jordan University of Science and Technology, the country¡¯s second-best performer, has risen from 23rd to joint 21st place. Jordan has 19 universities ranked, including five in the top 50.?

Jordan has the third-highest average overall score (48), as well as the third-highest average score for research quality (70), behind only Saudi Arabia and the UAE (based on countries with more than 10 universities ranked).?

Egypt boasts its best ever performance as Cairo University leaps forward to eighth place, up from joint 28th. American University in Cairo is also inching ever closer to the top 10 in 13th place, up from joint 19th. Egypt has five institutions in the top 20 and seven in the top 50. Overall, Egypt has 42 universities ranked (including five newcomers), pushing it down to second place for representation from first place last year. Iraq is now the best performer for overall representation with 45 institutions ranked.???

When it comes to pillar scores, on average, Egypt performs well under the society pillar (66.6), which tracks industry income per academic staff as well as participation and performance in the THE Impact Rankings.?

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Saudi Arabia takes all top three spots for first time and Gulf region continues to dominate top 10?

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia is number one for the second year in a row. Saudi Arabia has claimed all top three places for the first time with King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in joint second place, up from joint fourth, and King Saud University also in joint second, up from 10th. In all, Saudi Arabia boasts five of the top 10 spots. King Abdulaziz University is fifth, up from 15th, and King Khalid University is at 10th, down from sixth. Overall, Saudi Arabia has 34 institutions ranked.?

UAE has two universities in the top 10, down from four. Its leading university, Khalifa University, has slipped to sixth place from second. United Arab Emirates University retains its spot at number seven, but the University of Sharjah at 11th (down from joint fourth) and Abu Dhabi University at 14th (down from ninth) have both dropped out of the top 10. Of its 12 ranked institutions, six have suffered drops in this year¡¯s ranking. However, UAE¡¯s average overall score, 64, is the highest in the region, based on countries with more than 10 universities ranked, demonstrating the continuing strength of its system.?

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have the highest average scores for research quality, 84 and 78, respectively, based on countries with at least?10 universities ranked.?

Qatar is the third Gulf state represented in the top 10, with Qatar University, its only ranked institution, in fourth place, down from third.?

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Record year for representation with 238 universities ranked?

A record 238 universities are ranked in the THE Arab University Rankings 2024, up from 207 last year. Sixteen countries are represented, up from 15 last year, with Syria making its debut. Syria has two universities in the ranking, its best performer is Damascus University in band 161-180.?

It¡¯s a good year for newcomers as 37 newly ranked universities join the table, meaning around one-sixth of places in the ranking are taken by debutants. The highest ranked newcomer is Ahlia University in Bahrain in joint 17th place. Another high-performing newcomer is Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco, which goes straight into the top 50 at joint 38.?

Iraq has overtaken Egypt to become the most represented country in the ranking with 45 ranked institutions (up from 32 last year). Egypt is second for representation with 42 universities (up from 37), followed by Algeria with 37 and Saudi Arabia with 34. Iraq also has the highest number of newcomers with 14 universities newly ranked.?

Among the 15 countries that were also ranked last year, nine have increased their number of ranked institutions, while the remaining six have the same number ranked as last year ¨C Tunisia, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Libya and Qatar. Five countries have new number one institutions: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Bahrain.?

Oman performs well at the top of the table with a second university joining the top 50; its two best-performing institutions are making significant strides forward: Sultan Qaboos University, 15th up from 22nd, and Dhofar University, 49th up from band 101-120.?

While Lebanon has only five universities ranked, it punches above its weight with an average overall score of 58. The Lebanese American University is the nation¡¯s top-ranked institution and once again edges closer to the top 10, claiming 12th position, up from joint 16th last year.?

Elsewhere, Tunisia has 10 universities ranked and an average overall score of 42. Morocco records an average score of 40, based on 14 universities; Iraq has an average score of 38, based on 45 universities; and Algeria chalks up an average score of 29, based on 37 ranked institutions.?

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Arab number one KAUST outperforms region in most areas?

KAUST tops the Arab University Rankings for a second consecutive year. The university outperforms the Arab region in most areas; a look into the figures underlying the data help explain why. KAUST has a small number of students ¨C just 1,530, when the Arab university average is 22,338. It also has a high percentage of international students, 65.9 per cent, when the Arab university average is 7.3 per cent. And, it has a small teacher to student ratio at eight, compared?with 20.1 for the Arab average. KAUST is also impressively productive in terms of research and benefits from high levels of income.??

KAUST¡¯s small size, high international intake and focus on research backed up by funds all help it excel in higher education and hold its leading spot at the top of the rankings.?

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Phil Baty, THE¡¯s chief global affairs officer, said:?

¡°This important new data release from Times Higher Education shows universities across the region thriving in their diversity. We not only have the biggest Arab region ranking to date, shining a spotlight on more universities than ever, but also our most inclusive ranking, reflecting the real hunger for international benchmarking and performance analysis in all countries across the region. And that hunger for data to support strategic decision making is clearly paying off, demonstrated by the most diverse top 10 we¡¯ve seen to date. While of course the Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to dominate, it is exciting to see a diversifying top 10, with Jordan and Egypt making really eye-catching breakthroughs. This is great news as a rising tide lifts all boats and the whole region collectively benefits from improvements across nations.¡±?

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Methodology?

The methodology behind the Arab University Rankings is based on the same comprehensive and trusted framework as the Times Higher Education?World University Rankings, which are the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook.?

The Arab University Rankings are produced using metrics that are grouped into five pillars: Teaching (the learning environment); Research environment (volume, income and reputation); Research quality (research strength, research excellence and research influence); International outlook (staff, students, research and collaboration within the Arab world); and Society (income and Impact Rankings participation and performance).?

View the full ?and read the Arab University Rankings 2024 methodology.?