Ministry unveils national list of top research universities

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Education has unveiled a list of top research universities using a national university classification framework designed to provide a locally relevant assessment of universities across the country.

On 28 June the results of the National Higher Education Institutions Classification, which serves as a key indicator of the progress achieved by the higher education system, were presented at a conference.

The list of 34 top research universities includes 21 private universities, two mixed public-private universities, seven public universities and four foreign branch campuses.

According to the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) website, there are 77 active higher education institutions in the UAE.

Besides offering results that align with national priorities, academic experiences, teaching quality and educational outcomes, the framework aims to provide students and parents with insights into higher education institutions, helping them to make informed decisions about where to pursue their higher education based on their academic and career aspirations.

It is also meant to serve as a benchmark for institutions to identify areas of improvement and enhance quality and competitiveness based on clear, adaptable and fair criteria. It is intended to help institutions attract students and top faculty, and advance scientific research and international academic cooperation.

For performance evaluation, higher education institutions are classified into two primary categories: a research cluster which includes institutions offering masters and-or doctorate studies along with bachelor studies; and a non-research cluster including higher education institutions that provide bachelor (or lower) studies only.

In its first phase, the framework assessed institutions across four primary pillars.

These pillars include research and innovation (35% weighting); teaching quality and student life (35%); employment and job market alignment (20%); and international collaboration (10%).

Four groups

The framework categorised universities into four distinct groups based on their research capabilities and educational standards.

Group 1 (Outstanding) includes five universities: two private universities (American University of Sharjah, Mohammed bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences), two public universities (United Arab Emirates University and Khalifa University), and one foreign branch campus (New York University Abu Dhabi).

Group 2 (Very Good) includes nine universities: seven private universities (Abu Dhabi University, American University in Dubai, the British University in Dubai, University of Sharjah, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Rochester Institute of Technology and Ajman University), one public university (Zayed University) and one foreign branch campus (University of Wollongong in Dubai).

Group 3 (Good) includes 12 universities: eight private universities (American University in the Emirates, Emirates College for Educational Development, Gulf Medical University, Al Ain University, Canadian University in Dubai, the Institute of Management Technology-Dubai, University of Dubai, the Dubai Pharmacy College for Girls) two public universities (the American University of Ras Al Khaimah, Raydan Academy), and two foreign branch campuses (Sorbonne University-Abu Dhabi and Saint Joseph University-Dubai).

Group 4 (Satisfactory) includes eight universities: two public universities (Skyline University College and Imam Malik College of Islamic Sharia and Law), four private universities (Emirates Aviation University, City University Ajman, Al Wasl University and Jumeira University), two mixed public-private universities (University of Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah University of Medicine and Health Sciences).

The ‘situation on the ground’

Dr Stephen Wilkinson, director of research at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, told University World News: “There are many advantages to having a national classification system for universities.

“If you look at the UAE on the QS ranking system (2025), there are only 12 institutions identified; the vast majority of universities are not included.”

He added: “In addition, global rankings do not capture what is going on in the UAE, particularly for branch campuses where the activities of the home campus overseas and the branch campus in the UAE can be very different.

“This means that the national classification system is more complete and closer to the situation on the ground for the elements that are being measured.”

Angel Calderon, director of strategic insights at RMIT University, Australia, and a member of the independent QS Global Rankings Advisory Board, told University World News his “overall impression is that the set criteria and weights provide a good foundation for measuring the performance of institutions under the UAE framework”.

Calderon explained: “It provides a solid basis for higher education institutions to have a roadmap for development and for users of these tools to have a view on how institutions are assessed and rated.

“Refinement will need to occur as there is expert scrutiny of the criteria and data which sits behind these measures. Often, unintended consequences of such measures are only seen a few years down the track – particularly verifying if there is stability in results.”

Calderon added: “Users of this assessment need to be cautious interpreting results particularly when these are grouped and unclear what measures and scores separates one institution to the next. Detail matters if one wishes to have a more informed opinion.”

Recognising diversity

Professor Ellen Hazelkorn, joint managing partner at BH Associates education consultants, told University World News massification had transformed higher education, leading to a more diverse range of institutions with different missions, programmes and modes of study to meet the needs and interests of more diverse learners and society.

“The UAE classification system is an interesting development,” said Hazelkorn, who is also a professor emeritus at Technological University Dublin in Ireland. “It goes some way towards recognising diversity by presenting institutions according to different dimensions – similar to U-Multirank.

“It also seeks to serve as a quality assurance mechanism and tool for continuous review,” she said.

However, Hazelkorn also pointed to “concerning gaps”.

“The website of the UAE classification system says it will employ ‘weighting systems or qualitative indicators’ alongside quantitative indicators.

“However, the methodology is missing, and the choice of indicators are problematic especially for a tool which ‘can have several impacts’.

“For example, there is reference to ‘subjective evaluation of teaching quality’, and to ‘surveys, interviews and employers’ feedback’.

“As with all such tools – the choice of indicators and weightings belongs to those who own-control it. However, to be trusted by the institutions and society, the process should be based on the principle of mutuality and be fully transparent,” she said.

Hazelkorn said diversity should be a “core objective”. “Rather than classifying according to groups (1, 2, 3, 4) – which carries the negative implications of a ranking system – it could more proactively aim to encourage and promote mission differentiation,” she explained.

She added: “As long as our systems are portrayed as an academic hierarchy, it will be difficult to develop a system and society where all learners and institutions are equally valued.”

Employability

Andy Pacino, academic director at education consultancy ELT Central, told University World News he thought the framework was, in theory, a “good thing” because it standardised evaluation of higher education institutions and offers assessment transparency.

“Students and their parents are also able to use the guide when choosing their university. However, there’s something of a problem with quality assurance for a couple of reasons.

“The first is that if you research what quality in education is, there’s no hard and fast definition,” said Pacino, who is the former teaching and learning coordinator at Murdoch University in Dubai.

“Another point that strikes me is that there’s a 35% weightage for research and innovation, and I don’t believe students benefit hugely through what their lecturers publish,” he said.

“Yes, it is important, but should it really be valued so highly that a great university could lose out on ranking because it serves its customer?

“My view is that the most important part of a student’s university life is that they have the skills, experience and contacts that they can take into the real world when they graduate,” he said.

Pacino said he headed the careers department at a university that got the only five-star rating for employability, and this was due to his belief that “we owed our customers, the students, not only a certificate, a handshake and a ‘good luck’ pat on the back, but something tangible that they could take with them into the workplace”.

To achieve that, he initiated a career portal, introduced a student magazine, held networking sessions with some of the biggest hitters in the UAE and I brought over 300 positions to the jobs site. “If you can’t get a job after your degree, what is it worth?” he asked.

“I could also mention that the students should grow and enjoy their time at university, and so the 35% allotted to student engagement, great teachers in practical, appropriate subjects and student life I would agree with,” he added.

Foreign branch campuses

According to Wilkinson the small number of foreign branch campuses in the classification (only four out of 30 are included) was a limitation.

“This is probably because the classification only includes institutions accredited by the CAA. Many branch campuses, mostly in Dubai, do not have this local accreditation and so are excluded,” he said.

Pacino said he was not surprised to see that foreign branch campuses had not done well in the results of the classification.

“Without mentioning any names, I don’t believe that mother campuses are closely enough tied with their branch campus,” Pacino said.

“What we also see in branch campuses is that there is a separate education provider, and this can be detrimental as the provider’s job is to get bums on seats, and the mother campus must ensure students are at a level of learning that they are able to progress rather than take retake after retake.

“In this way the classification system will expose those providers that lose their focus,” Pacino said.

With 30 the UAE has the second highest number of international campuses in the world after China (with 47), according to C-BERT.

Improvements in higher education

Wilkinson said a “key factor” of the system is using it to drive improvements in local higher education institutions. However, he said it was missing a “clear statement” of the precise methodology for the classification.

“Ideally, institutions would work to improve their metrics, but if they do not know how each measurement is being used and what its weighting is within the classification, then the route to improvement is unclear.

“Over time the measurements can evolve to focus on specific areas for improvement (for example, sustainability is common in international ranking systems),” Wilkinson said.

In addition, a second classification for “non-research” universities is yet to be announced, he said.

“To my mind a key element of a university’s mission is research, so the concept of a university completely devoid of research is very strange.

“I would be happier for both research and non-research institutions to be on a single classification scale,” he said.

“I will, however, wait to review the non-research classification to see how it fits with the current National Higher Education Institutions Classification Framework,” he added.