Abu Dhabi University, ADU, has been ranked among the top 750 universities in the world for the third year in a row, according to the 2021 QS World University Rankings.
ADU recorded an increase of 15 percent in Academic Reputation, the world rankings indicator with the highest weightage.
Reinforcing this performance, the university also improved at a similar rate in faculty-student ratio and citations per faculty, with each indicator reflecting a growth of 17 percent.
These are the results of the University gaining an international reputation, research collaborations and performance.
Over the last couple of years, ADU has embarked on many initiatives to enhance its research standing in the region toward realizing the UAE vision of becoming a knowledge-based economy. In its new research strategy, ADU emphasised international collaboration with top research universities, integrating research with teaching at all levels to foster 21st Century skills, and connecting with industry and government organisations for knowledge sharing.
As a result, ADU’s research output has witnessed an average yearly increase of 33 percent over the last five years as reported by Scopus, an internationally recognised database of quality publications.
ADU has also spearheaded research among undergraduates not only at the university level but also at the national and regional levels with its annual ‘Undergraduate Research Competition’, helping to make research an integral part of university education. All these efforts have consistently paid off in terms of improved student experience and increased international reputation, as evidenced by the latest rankings.
The university also improved its global percentile position in the rankings. Since 2018, the ADU has improved its global percentile position by almost 23 percent, bettering its percentile performance by nine percent over last year.
Professor Waqar Ahmad, ADU Chancellor, said, “It is no easy feat to maintain our position in the renowned 2021 QS World University Rankings while improving in its global percentile position. This is testimony to the ADU’s dedication to the intellectual development of individuals, as a world-class institution committed to excellence in teaching, student experience and research. We consider diversity to be among our key strengths as evidenced by the QS ranking we have achieved; third globally for international faculty and 11th for international students.”
The ADU’s overall rankings score has achieved an improvement of almost four percent from the previous cycle.
“As articulated in ADU’s Vision 2022 strategy, we strive to become a leading university in the MENA region. Our strong performance in the QS rankings confirms our position as a key higher education provider, not only in the UAE but across the region,” Professor Ahmad added.
ADU has been also named among the top ten Arab Universities for faculty and student diversity according to the 2020 QS Arab Region University Rankings, ranking seventh in the Arab Region for international faculty and eighth for international students with over 80 nationalities.
