The number of Saudi universities that made the Shanghai Ranking has increased from seven in 2022 to 12 in 2023. This year, in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), often known as the Shanghai Ranking, five Saudi universities have advanced to the list of the world’s top 1,000 universities.
The five universities are the Riyadh-based Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, the largest woman’s university in the world, with a ranking that falls between 601 and 700; King Faisal University of Dammam, Al-Qassim University, and Umm Al-Qura University, with rankings from 801 and 900; and finally, Al-Jouf University within the 901-1000 ranking.
The Shanghai classification is one of the three most important global classification agencies
Saudi universities attained prominent positions, with King Saud University maintaining a position between 101-150 globally, followed by King Abdulaziz University, which ranked between 151-200 globally, while Taif University advanced considerably this year by attaining a position between 201- 300 compared to its 401-500 position in 2022.
The Shanghai classification is one of the three most important global classification agencies, in addition to QS World University Rankings, and British Times Higher Education rankings.
ARWU ranks the world’s universities according to a set of criteria and standards, including the quality of education, the efficiency of faculty members, the outputs of scientific research, and the size of the institution. Harvard University came out on top in the ranking list for the 21st year, followed by Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The results of the ranking confirm the continued and evolving success of the education sector in the Kingdom, which has contributed enormously to achieving the strategic objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.