Study Abroad: Saudi vs UAE Who Dominates the THE Arab University Rankings 2023?

Times Higher Education has released the third edition of THE Arab University Rankings 2023. Arab countries are competing amongst themselves as well as globally to gain the top spot in education. 

Rankings such as these motivate positive competition and an opportunity for the universities to thrive. Universities in various Arab countries have levelled up their games including the KAUST university which has climbed from the third position to the top this year. 

Two major countries in this race are Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. As is visible from the list of top 10 Arab Universities in 2023 these two are in close competition with each in displaying the charm of their universities. 

Saudi Arabia Vs UAE Who is on Top of the Chart?

The United Arab Emirates is one of the most preferred countries for Indian students which welcomes more Indians every year than the USA itself. 

However, in this crucial battle of universities UAE has secured a second spot to Saudi Arabia with 5 ranking universities from Saudi Arabia in the top 10 while 4 from the UAE. 

This was a close win for Saudi Arabia but still a crucial one. The top-ranking university of 2023, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is also from Saudi Arabia. 

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Khalid University, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University and King Saud University are the other four universities from Saudi Arabia in the top 10. 

As for UAE, Khalifa University, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates University and Abu Dhabi University are on the list of top 10. 

Together these two countries have dominated the list with Qatar University on the #3rd position being an exception. Beyond the top 10, there are universities from many other countries such as Oman, Lebanon, Egypt etc. 

Ranking Trends

The methodology for Times Higher Education Rankings has changed this year. Therefore, the Arab university rankings are also listed with the same factors in consideration. 

KAUST has thus, climbed up the ladder from 3rd position in 2021 to 2nd in 2022 and 1st in 2023. In terms of countries Egypt is the most represented country in the top 100. 

Egypt has 37 universities in the top 100 list while Algeria on the second position had 35 ranking universities. Saudi Arabia has the third largest representation with 32 universities on the list. 

Moreover, universities from Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, Tunisia and Oman are featured in the top 50. Whereas universities from Algeria, Palestine and Bahrain are featured in the top 100. 

Rankings are a strong indicator of a university’s performance and students actively use it to shortlisted their study abroad opportunities. If you want to read more ranking updates or study abroad-related information, make sure you follow Leverage Edu News Updates.