Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has further strengthened its international academic reputation, ranking among the world’s leading universities in 21 subjects in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026, released by QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
The 2026 edition assessed over 18,300 academic programmes across more than 1,700 universities in 100 locations worldwide, covering 55 disciplines across five broad faculty areas.
UAEU demonstrated notable progress this year, improving its rankings in eight subjects. The University maintained its presence across all five broad subject areas for the fourth consecutive year, with four areas showing growth. Its global rankings in broad subject areas are:
- Engineering & Technology: 216
- Social Sciences & Management: 272
- Natural Sciences: 303
- Life Sciences & Medicine: 310
- Arts & Humanities: 391
At the national level, UAEU achieved outstanding results:
- First in UAE: Life Sciences & Medicine, Social Sciences & Management
- Second in UAE: Engineering & Technology, Natural Sciences
At the subject level, UAEU ranked first in the UAE in seven individual subjects and shared top position in three more. Impressively, the University is ranked among the top 200 globally in four subjects, highlighting its international research impact and academic excellence.
The QS rankings are based on five performance indicators:
- Academic Reputation
- Employer Reputation
- Citations per Paper
- H-index (research impact)
- International Research Network (IRN)
With 96 ranked programmes across 14 institutions nationally, the UAE’s higher education sector continues to showcase strong competitiveness and growth.
Prof Ahmed Ali Alraeesi, Vice Chancellor of UAEU, stated:
"As we celebrate 50 years of UAEU, these results reflect our commitment to academic excellence, impactful research, and global engagement. Our strong QS performance underscores the dedication of our faculty, researchers, and students and reinforces UAEU’s role in driving knowledge and innovation nationally and internationally."
UAEU’s sustained success in global rankings reflects its strategic vision to deliver high-quality education, advance impactful research, and contribute to national and global development.
