Universities across the MENA region have made significant strides in the latest 2026 QS World University Rankings (WUR), reflecting a sustained push in attracting international institutions and students.
From a previous list of 88 institutions featured in the rankings last year, the numbers increased to a total of 115 in 2026, with the region’s most notable climb being that of King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia, which has been listed in the top 100 globally at a rank of 67 – a historic record for institutions in the region.
The 16 MENA countries also added 27 new entries from across nine countries, second as a region only to Asia, which added 54 new institutions from across 19 countries.
Among these, the University of Tripoli marked Libya’s debut in the QS WUR. Apart from Libya, only two other countries, Guatemala and Honduras, entered the rankings for the first time this year, each with one institution.
When examining year-on-year changes, some 53% of institutions in the MENA region either maintained or improved their global ranking, while only 23% saw a decline.
This is the lowest proportion of declining institutions among all global regions, outperforming Europe, where the maintain/improve versus decline rate stands at 52% to 44%, and Australia and New Zealand (AUNZ), where the rate is 36% to 61%.
Countries that are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, all share a common approach in making significant investments in research and education, aligned with bold national visions.
Collectively, GCC countries outperform the MENA region average across all nine QS World University Rankings indicators. Their institutions particularly excel under the global engagement lens, which looks at internationalisation indicators such as international faculty ratio (IFR), international student ratio (ISR), and international research network (IRN). This reflects their strong global appeal in attracting international talent and fostering cross-border academic collaboration.
Saudi Arabia leads MENA region
Among the top 25 countries by number of ranked institutions, Saudi Arabia leads the MENA region – with 22 universities featured in the QS WUR 2026, six more than in 2024. The overall average score of Saudi institutions increased by 38%, from 20.7 to 28.5, over the past two editions.
These advancements are arguably a result of Saudi’s 2030 Vision, as the country promised to have at least five of its universities among the top 200 universities in international rankings, thus budgeting for substantial funding for research, university-industry collaboration, and global partnerships.
The rankings come as Dubai expands its international branch campus ecosystem, aiming to host 50% international students by 2030 as a part of its Education 33 strategy, positioning itself as an international education hub.
Qatar also finds itself in a similar position, as Qatar University moved 10 places up to reach 112 globally. The country’s investment in research infrastructure and faculty recruitment has improved its performance in citations per faculty – a key QS metric.
The Qatar National Vision 2030 aims to establish a world-class education system aligned with labour market needs, offering high-quality, accessible learning for all stages of life. It emphasises the development of independent and accountable institutions, robust public-private research funding, and active global engagement in cultural and scientific domains.
Meanwhile, outside the GCC, four other countries have shown particularly impressive performances: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. These countries rank among the top six in the MENA region in terms of ranked institutions, sharing the spotlight with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
According to QS’s Best Student Cities rankings, Jordan’s capital, Amman, is now the best city in the Middle East. Additionally, Jordan saw multiple universities ranked in the WUR this year, with the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, and the German Jordanian University improving in previous years.
While none have yet reached the global top 400, the country is investing in STEM-focused faculty and expanding regional collaborations, especially with the Gulf.
Meanwhile, Egypt now has 13 institutions featured in QS rankings, with Cairo University, Ain Shams University, and The American University in Cairo (AUC) leading the way.
And in Lebanon, the American University of Beirut remains the top Lebanese institution and one of the top institutions in the MENA region.
Despite geopolitical tensions in Lebanon, a surprise improvement occurred as the Lebanese University (LU) climbed from 577 globally in 2024 to 515 in the WUR 2026. And after the Lebanese American University placed round 701-710 globally in 2025, in 2026 it projected to 535 on the list.
What’s next?
Stakeholders discussed the potential reasons why universities from the MENA region have shown such a marked jump in the ranking yea on year.
“From my perspective, key drivers include stronger institutional strategies around internationalisation, improved research output, and increasing collaborations with global partners,” Gulf Medical University academic quality assurance & institutional effectiveness specialist, Salaheldin Mostafa Khalifa, told The PIE News.
“We can expect continued upward momentum for MENA universities in global rankings. Many institutions are investing heavily in research infrastructure, international collaborations, and faculty development,” he added.
Meanwhile, QS broke down the “sustained progress” that universities in the regions have seen over the past year.
We can expect continued upward momentum for MENA universities in global rankings. Many institutions are investing heavily in research infrastructure, international collaborations, and faculty development
Salaheldin Mostafa Khalifa, Gulf Medical University
“There are clear signs of upward momentum,” said product and research advisor at QS, Wesley Siqueira, noting that the umber of ranked MENA institutions had jumped from 84 to 115 between the QS WUR 2024 and 2026 editions.
“Finally, national development strategies provide strong indicators of where future progress may come from,” he added. “Several of the regional ‘visions’ explicitly set goals for placing domestic universities among the world’s top institutions. If these targets are met, we could see by 2030: three Omani universities in the top 500, five Saudi universities in the top 200, and seven Egyptian universities in the top 500.”
