Two universities of UAE have made it onto a list of the top 20 most international universities. In a new ranking by Times Higher Education, the federal UAE University in Al Ain and private American University of Sharjah achieved 15th and 12th places, respectively.
The rankings are examined on the basis of the proportion of international students, international faculty and research published, with at least one international co-author, each given equal weighting.
Phil Baty, Editor, Times Higher Education, said, “With naturally small indigenous populations, it could be argued that Qatar, which took first place, and the UAE, would have what he calls a ‘natural advantage’ towards internationalisation.”
Maryam Khan, Advisor on the UAE University rankings team, said, “The placement reflected the university’s goal to be research intensive. We want to bring the big brains of the world to come here so being on the international rankings is important for this.”
Though the federal university was set up for Emiratis, it does have increasing numbers of foreign students.
On the rankings, Kevin Mitchell, Acting Provost, AUS, said, “Even if there were no rankings that considered internationalisation as a criterion, institutions would likely still seek to attract an international student body and faculty as there is an increasing need to establish connections across the world to enhance knowledge and facilitate research.
