Arab World Moving Up in Global University Rankings

By Benjamin Plackett. The Times Higher Education released a list this week of what it believes to be the best 801 universities in the world.
The top ten positions are dominated by familiar institutions in the United Kingdom and United States, but changes to the data source for some of the metrics has allowed more Arab universities to shine through.
While they may not occupy high up positions, the United Arab Emirates University and the American University of Sharjah were placed in the 501-600 and 601-800 bands respectively—after the top 200 positions, Times Higher Education groups universities into these broader categories. This marks the first time the UAE has seen any of its universities on the list.
Several other Arab countries also made the cut for the first time this year, including Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The best performer in the region was Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University, which fell into the 251-300 category. More...