Arab regional university rankings

The 2027 academic rankings for Arab universities have been released by different organizations, showing various leaders in the region.

According to the QS Arab University Rankings 2027, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia secured the top position. Other leading institutions include Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar University in Qatar. Saudi Arabia maintained a strong presence in the top ten, while the Islamic University of Madinah rose 32 places to rank 86th. Algeria recorded the highest volume of ranked institutions with 50 national universities appearing in the list.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) Arab Universities rankings for 2027, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) was ranked as the top institution. This marks the fourth consecutive year KAUST has held the top spot in this specific ranking. Additionally, KAUST was named a finalist in four categories for the 2026 THE Arab World Awards, including nominations for its National Transformation Institute and its Coral Reef Initiative.