2 Saudi Universities Are Among the World’s Top 100, U.S. Publisher Says

Two Saudi universities are among those an American publishing company considers the 100 best universities in the world, and two Egyptian universities are among the top 10 in Africa.

Those results are from the “2022 Best Global Universities Rankings”, released by “U.S. News & World Report” in late October.

The rankings compare 1,750 institutions of higher education in 91 countries.

The two highest placed universities in the Middle East are King Abdulaziz University, in Jeddah, which is ranked No. 44 globally, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in Thuwal, No. 97.

No universities in Africa were included among the top 100 globally, but two in Egypt, Cairo University and Mansoura University, won places in the continent’s top 10.

Tariq Kabil, an assistant professor of biotechnology at Al-Baha University, in Saudi Arabia, told Al-Fanar Media: “Saudi universities rely a lot on excellence in all fields, to achieve the highest indicators in international rankings.”

The kingdom’s universities hire top scientists and researchers and provide the necessary support to reach the required global level, Kabil added. This “opens the way for international cooperation, which gives them added advantages compared to other Arab universities.”

The Methodology Behind the Rankings

“U.S. News” bases its rankings on 13 indicators it chooses to measure universities’ performance. The three measures that get the most weight in its calculations are global research reputation, regional research reputation, and number of faculty publications that are among the 10 percent most cited.

Besides the global list, the results can be sorted by region. Universities in the Middle East and North Africa fall into the regional lists for Asia and Africa.

While most Arab universities were absent from the top 100 globally, Egyptian and Moroccan universities achieved advanced positions in the rankings on African level. Cairo University ranked fifth in Africa, while it ranked No. 392 globally. Mansoura University ranked ninth in Africa and No. 477 globally. Ain Shams University ranked 13th in Africa and 619th globally, while Alexandria University ranked 17th in Africa and 738th globally.

Morocco’s Mohammed I University ranked No. 14 in Africa and No. 630 globally, while Hassan II University of Casablanca ranked No. 18 in Africa and No. 779 globally.

In an official statement, Cairo University’s president, Mohamed Othman Elkhosht, said the university was “working on all fronts … to maintain the international position it has achieved.”

Cairo University “aims to reach a global level and compete with the most prestigious international universities,” Elkhosht said. He added that a number of international rankings indicate it is achieving this goal.

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At the Asian level, three Saudi universities ranked in the continent’s top 50. They are King Abdulaziz University, No. 4; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, No. 9; and King Saud University, No. 38 in Asia.

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