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
Pioneering electric bus service takes to the road in Makkah
- The bus rapid transit project, a system designed to have higher capacity and reliability than conventional bus services, is said to be the first of its kind in the Kingdom
- The vehicles operate in dedicated bus lanes within a network that includes two main bus stations and 11 stops along the route connecting them
MAKKAH: A pioneering electric bus service took to the road in Makkah this week.
Electromin, the developer and operator of the service in partnership with Umm Al-Qura for Development and Construction, said it is expected to serve more than 125 million passengers over the next 15 years, while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 31,500 tonnes compared with traditional vehicles.
The bus rapid transit project, a system designed to have higher capacity and reliability than conventional bus services, is said to be one of the first of its kind in the Kingdom. It was inaugurated on Wednesday by Amr Al-Dabbagh, chairperson of Al-Dabbagh Group; Samir Nawar, managing director of Petromin; and Yasser Abu Ateeq, CEO of Umm Al-Qura.
Electromin, a subsidiary of Petromin specializing in energy and mobility solutions, said the new service, which forms part of the Masar Destination mixed-use real estate development project in Makkah, is one the first transport networks of its kind in the country, and represents a significant shift toward a cleaner, more efficient urban transport model.
It operates in dedicated bus lanes, connecting key hubs within Masar and providing safe, reliable and environmentally friendly transportation for residents and visitors, the company added. The network includes two main bus stations and 11 stops along the route connecting them. It has been designed to serve more than 5 million visitors and pilgrims annually, and to be easily accessible to all users.
Operators say the service is designed as a foundation for Makkah’s future transportation system, through its integration with the broader Masar project, which includes pedestrian walkways, more than 5,000 parking spaces, metro services and other urban infrastructure.
