June 15, 2015

QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the producer of QS World University Rankings, officially launched the QS University Rankings: Arab Region 2015 in the United Arab Emirates on June 10, 2015.  H.E. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research and Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University was presented with the first copy of the results by Mr. Ashwin Fernandes, Head of Client Relations at QS during a private ceremony.

The QS University Rankings: Arab Region 2015 features 100 universities from 15 Arab League countries. Saudi Arabia has the largest number of universities at 19, while Egypt has 15 and the United Arab Emirates has 13. Two universities from the UAE have made it into the top 10 - United Arab Emirates University in sixth position and the American University of Sharjah close behind in seventh position.

H.E. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan stated, "We are delighted to have two UAE universities recognized in the top 10 Arab region university rankings. This is a reflection of the leaderships support to provide a distinctive education and broad-based research excellence."

Professor Mohamed Albaili, Deputy VC for Academic Affairs of UAEU said during the opening of the launch, that UAEU is proud of its ongoing strategic partnership with QS and added that under the guidance of H.E. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan the university has developed a strategic plan for the advancement of all services provided by the university beginning with teaching and research and ending with its active role in the community. The ranking of UAEU in 6th place is not only seen as an accomplishment but rather a new step forward in pursuit of excellence and becoming a leading world-class institution.

This launch event was preceded by a public function in Dubai on June 11, 2015, which was attended by close to 100 higher education leaders from 8 Arab countries - UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and Jordan. The event was organized in partnership with United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) and sponsored by the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

The Arab region ranking was first introduced as a pilot project in 2014 when QS undertook extensive consultation with university leaders in the region to identify a suitable methodology.

The methodology for the Arab Region ranking differs from the global ranking, using different indicators and changing the weighting of existing indicators. The first edition of the rankings was based on nine indicators: academic reputation from global survey (30%); employer reputation from global survey (20%); faculty student ratio (20%); web impact from Webometrics (10%); proportion of international faculty (2.5%); proportion of international students (2.5%) proportion of staff with PhD (5%); citations per paper from Scopus (5%); and papers per faculty from Scopus (5%).

Participants at the launch event received exclusive information and analysis about the rankings formulation. Speaking at the event were Ms Mandy Mok, CEO of QS Asia Quacquarelli Symonds; Ms Baerbel Eckelmann, Research Manager at QS Intelligence Unit; Dr Kevin Downing, Director of Knowledge, Enterprise and Analysis at City University of Hong Kong; Mr Ashwin Fernandes, Head of Client Relations at QS Asia Quacquarelli Symonds, Singapore.

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About the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) - The National University
Founded in 1976 by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAEU is a comprehensive, research-intensive university enrolling about 14,000 Emirati and international students. As the UAE's flagship university, UAEU offers a full range of accredited, high-quality graduate and undergraduate programs through nine colleges: business and economics; education; engineering; food and agriculture; humanities and social sciences; IT; law; medicine and health sciences, and science. With a distinguished international faculty, state-of-the art new campus and a full range of student support services, UAEU offers a living-learning environment that is unmatched in the UAE. 

As a research-intensive university of international stature, UAEU works with its partners in industry to provide research solutions to challenges faced by the nation, the region, and the wider world. The university has established research centers of strategic importance to the country and the region, which are advancing knowledge in critical areas ranging from water resources to cancer treatments. UAEU is currently ranked 6th in the Arab World and 385 globally.

UAEU's academic programs have been developed in partnership with employers, so our graduates are in high demand. UAEU alumni hold key positions in industry, commerce, and government throughout the region. Our continuing investment in facilities, services and staff ensure that UAEU will continue to serve as a model of innovation and excellence.

For further information contact:
Jean O' Neill, Communications & Marketing Manager
Tel: +971 (0)3 7135906
Email: media_enquiries@uaeu.ac.ae

About QS
QS Quacquarelli Symonds (www.qs.com) is a global media and research company specialized in higher education. QS's portfolio includes World University Rankings, student recruitment events, conferences, publications, online solutions and leading websites.

© Press Release 2015