Fifty-six institutions from the six Gulf Cooperation Council states are ranked in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, published on 30 September 2026, up from 47 in the 2026 edition on TED’s count from THE’s tables. Saudi Arabia has 34, the UAE nine, Oman five, Bahrain and Kuwait three each, and Qatar two. Nine of the 56 were not in the 2026 table.

Method in one line: THE scores research-intensive universities on 17 indicators in five pillars, teaching (29.5%), research environment (29%), research quality (30%), international outlook (7.5%) and industry (4%), using Elsevier Scopus data, its academic reputation survey and data the universities submit. This edition ranks 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories.

The top of the regional table

Qatar’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), a new entrant, is joint 126th and, according to THE, the highest-ranked university in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) is joint 176th, up from joint 184th last year. They are the only Gulf institutions in the top 200.

Five more are in the top 300: King Saud University (216th), Qatar University (joint 222nd), Khalifa University and United Arab Emirates University (both joint 235th) and Bahrain’s Ahlia University (joint 299th), also a new entrant. That makes seven Gulf institutions in the top 300, the same number as in 2026, when THE gave individual ranks only to 200. Abu Dhabi University and King Khalid University, in the top 300 last year, are now in the 301-325 band.

The UAE ministry’s reading

The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research said on 5 October that six of the country’s nine ranked universities are in the global top 500, placing the UAE 23rd for representation in that group, according to THE data provided to the ministry. It said five of the eight returning UAE universities improved their positions and six raised their overall scores. Gulf Medical University entered in the 1001-1200 band.

The ministry reported average scores across the nine of 84 out of 100 for research quality and 92 for international outlook, with every ranked UAE university in the global top 400 on international outlook. It named teaching, the research environment and economy-related performance as areas with scope for progress, and noted that teaching and research reputation together account for 33% of the overall score.

These results demonstrate important progress, while also providing valuable evidence to guide the next stage of development across the sector.

Dr Abdulrahman Al Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, UAE

Saudi depth and the smaller systems

Saudi Arabia’s 34 ranked institutions include nine in the top 500, the same as in 2026, and three new entrants: Effat University (601-650), AlMaarefa University (701-800) and Batterjee Medical College (1401-1600). Oman’s count rose from three to five with Sohar University (801-1000) and the National University of Science and Technology (1601-1800); Sultan Qaboos University is its highest at 501-550. Kuwait’s Gulf University for Science and Technology entered at 451-500, ahead of the American University of the Middle East (651-700) and Kuwait University (1401-1600). Bahrain’s Arabian Gulf University is in the 401-450 band.

What it means

TED analysis: the Gulf’s ranked presence is widening faster than it is climbing.

  • Growth comes from entry: the rise from 47 to 56 is driven by first-time or returning institutions, seven of them placed below 400. Ministries that track ranking targets will see counts rise faster than positions.
  • New entrants can go straight to the top: HBKU and Ahlia took two of the seven top-300 places on arrival, while two established universities dropped out of that group. Movement at the top is now as much about who participates as about performance.
  • Reputation is the constraint: the UAE ministry’s own reading puts the scope for progress in teaching, the research environment and economy-related performance, and points to the 33% weight of reputation. Teaching and research environment together carry 58.5% of the score, against 7.5% for international outlook, where UAE universities score highest.
  • For foreign partners: ranked UAE and Qatari universities already score highly on international outlook, so partnerships that add research reputation or industry income are likely to count for more in future editions than student or staff mobility alone.