ABU DHABI, 5th October, 2026 (WAM) -- The UAE has strengthened its presence in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, with nine universities included in the global rankings, compared with five in 2021, reflecting the continued development and growing international competitiveness of the country’s higher education sector.
The 2027 edition of the World University Rankings includes 2,297 universities across 118 countries and territories, up from 2,191 institutions in the previous edition. Six UAE universities are ranked among the world’s top 500, placing the UAE 23rd globally in terms of its representation within this group, according to THE data provided to the Ministry.
Khalifa University and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) are the UAE’s highest-ranked institutions, sharing 235th place globally. They are followed by Abu Dhabi University and the University of Sharjah in the 301–325 band, Ajman University in the 376–400 band, and Al Ain University in the 401–450 band. American University of Sharjah and Zayed University are both in the 501–550 band, while Gulf Medical University entered the rankings for the first time in the 1001–1200 band.
The results also point to positive momentum among institutions that participated in both editions. Five of the eight returning UAE universities improved their ranking positions, while six increased their overall scores. Since the 2021 edition, the number of ranked UAE institutions has risen from five to nine, even as the global ranking has expanded substantially.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said: “The UAE’s growing presence in leading international university rankings reflects the sustained efforts of our higher education institutions to strengthen academic and research excellence and enhance their global competitiveness. These results demonstrate important progress, while also providing valuable evidence to guide the next stage of development across the sector.
“Our focus is on building a higher education ecosystem that equips students with future-ready skills, advances high-impact research and innovation, and strengthens collaboration between universities, various economic sectors and international partners. We will continue working closely with higher education institutions to build on areas of strength, address opportunities for further improvement, and enhance the global impact and reputation of UAE higher education.”
THE’s assessment shows particular strength in research quality and international outlook. Across the nine ranked UAE universities, the average research quality score reached 84 out of 100, while international outlook averaged 92.
The UAE’s average international outlook score of 92 is well above both the world median and the median of the world’s top 200 universities. Every ranked UAE university was among the world’s top 400 on this pillar, with five among the top 15. Research quality was also close to the median performance of the world’s top 200 universities, with six of the nine UAE institutions ranking among the global top 200 for this pillar.
The findings also identify areas with scope for further progress, particularly teaching, the research environment and economy-related performance. Academic reputation is especially significant within THE’s methodology, with teaching and research reputation together accounting for 33 per cent of the overall World University Rankings score. The Ministry will continue to work with higher education institutions to strengthen research capacity and impact, academic excellence, economic partnerships and international visibility.
UAE universities are also represented across all 11 subject areas covered in the WUR 2027 subject rankings.
The World University Rankings 2027 were published by THE on 30 September 2026. THE assesses research-intensive universities across teaching, research environment, research quality and international outlook, using a range of performance indicators.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research reaffirmed its commitment to working with higher education institutions across the UAE to further strengthen academic quality, research and innovation, international partnerships and alignment with national priorities, supporting the development of a competitive, future-ready and globally connected higher education system.