Abu Dhabi-UAE: 10 September, 2017:  The Khalifa University of Science and Technology, a research university dedicated to producing world leaders and critical thinkers in applied science and engineering, has achieved its first major institutional milestone since being established through merger in 2017 -- attaining the highest ranking for a UAE university in the 2018 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, reaching the 301-350 bracket.

The Khalifa University of Science and Technology was one of 1,102 universities from 77 countries ranked by THE in their annual list for 2018, and the top ranked of the four UAE universities that made the list. Universities that reach the top 1,000 represent no more than 5% of the 20,000 higher education institutions in the world. 

His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and Chairman of the Khalifa University of Science and Technology Board of Trustees, stressed the importance of the ranking as evidence of the quality of the UAE education system and what the country has achieved in just a few years under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

The Khalifa University of Science and Technology was established by presidential decree in early 2017 through the merger of the Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (KUSTAR), Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI), and The Petroleum Institute (PI).   

Sheikh Hamed said that the new university, with its advanced research and modern facilities, has achieved an even more distinguished international reputation and can compete with the most prestigious universities from all over the world. It is dedicating its efforts and research capabilities to educate generations of young people capable of building the UAE’s knowledge economy by achieving excellence in innovation in various fields of science and technology.

Phil Baty, Editorial Director of Global Rankings at THE, was quoted in local media as saying: “This has been a good year in the rankings for the UAE on a number of fronts… First of all, the consolidation of a number of institutions into the recently merged Khalifa University [of Science and Technology] in the rankings calculations has led to the highest ever ranking this year for the UAE — a place in the 301-350 band. This consolidated institution is a strong new flagship asset for the UAE and hopefully will go from strength to strength.”

Prior to the merger in 2017, the Khalifa University of Science and Technology’s component institutes also held high academic rankings. KUSTAR had previously made the World University Rankings 501-600 bracket in 2017, and was also the youngest university ranked in the list of top 100 universities under 50 years of age. In 2016 MI was ranked as the UAE’s top academic institution in the Nature Index rankings and the top engineering university in the UAE by US News and World Report, among other rankings. In 2015 the PI achieved 20th position in THE’s first-ever ranking of the Middle East and North Africa region’s top 30 universities. 

The THE World University Rankings describes itself as the only global performance tables that judge research-intensive undergraduate universities across all their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. It looks at 13 performance indicators to provide a comprehensive and balanced comparison, the calculations of which are subject to independent audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers.