JEDDAH: Nineteen Saudi universities have been ranked among the top 100 educational institutions in the Arab region, according to the 13th edition of the QS World University Rankings released Monday.
Three universities – who also achieved 5-star rating – made it to the top five rankings in the region, led by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, King Saud University and King Abdulaziz University (KAU) were rated 1st, 3rd and 4th, respectively.
Others top 50 institutions ranked by QS World are Umm Al-Qura University (18), King Khalid University (21), King Faisal University (22), Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saudi Islamic University (35), Alfaisal University (37), Prince Sultan University (40) and Qassim University (46).
While universities rated from 50 to 100 are Najran University, Islamic University in Madinah, University of Dammam, Dar Al-Hekmah College for Women, Talibah University, Taif University, Majmaah University, Princes Nora bint Abdulrahman University and Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University.
Global rankings
The rankings include 916 universities from 81 countries. Thirty-three countries feature in the Top 200. The US dominates, with 48 institutions, ahead of the UK (30), Netherlands (12), Germany (11), Canada, Australia (9), Japan (8), China (7), France, Sweden and Hong Kong (5).
US institutions hold all top-three places for the first time since 2004-5, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is the world's top university for the fifth consecutive year, followed by Stanford and Harvard.
Western European institutions consistently suffered drops in their 2016 rankings, particularly the UK and Germany. The University of Cambridge dropped to fourth.
Russia and South Korea rise significantly, 16 among top-500 universities compared to 13 last year.
Ben Sowter, Head of Research at QS, said: "Institutions in countries providing high levels of targeted funding, whether from endowments or the public purse, rise. Conversely, Western European nations making or proposing cuts to public research spending lose ground to their US and Asian counterparts."
74,651 academics and 37,781 employers contributed to the rankings through the QS global surveys. QS analyzed 10.3 million research papers and 66.3 million citations, indexed by Elsevier's Scopus database.
2016 2015 TOP 20 UNIVERSITIES
1 1 MIT US
2 3= STANFORD US
3 2 HARVARD US
4 3= CAMBRIDGE UK
5 5 CALTECH US
6 6 OXFORD UK
7 7 UCL UK
8 9 ETH ZURICH SWITZERLAND
9 8 IMPERIAL COLLEGE UK
10 10 CHICAGO US
11 11 PRINCETON US
12 12 NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE SINGAPORE
13 13 NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY SINGAPORE
14 14 EPFL SWITZERLAND
15 15 YALE US
16 17 CORNELL US
17 16 JOHNS HOPKINS US
18 18 UPENN US
19 21 EDINBURGH UK
20 22 COLUMBIA US
19 Saudi universities among top 100 in the Arab world
19 Saudi universities among top 100 in the Arab world
Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee
Saudi foreign ministry welcomes second phase of Gaza peace plan, formation of transitional committee
- Ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday welcomed the announcement of the second phase of a comprehensive peace plan for Gaza, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The ministry said it also welcomed the formation of the Palestinian National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip as a temporary transitional body, established under UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which met in Cairo on Friday.
In a statement, the ministry also thanked US President Donald Trump, who declared the formation of the Gaza “board of peace,” for his leadership and efforts to end the war in Gaza.
It highlighted his commitment to the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the prevention of any annexation of parts of the West Bank, and efforts to advance sustainable peace in the region.
The ministry commended the role of mediators Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye, stressing the importance of international and regional cooperation in supporting the peace process.
It underlined the need to support the work of the temporary Palestinian National Committee in managing the daily affairs of Gaza’s residents, while preserving the institutional and geographical link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring Gaza’s unity and rejecting any attempts to divide it.
The statement also called for consolidating the ceasefire, halting violations, ensuring the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid, and accelerating early recovery and reconstruction efforts across Gaza.
It said these steps were essential to enabling the Palestinian National Authority to resume its responsibilities in the Gaza Strip, leading to an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in Gaza and the West Bank and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in line with UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the two-state solution.
