Sharjah's rising star: American University of Sharjah achieves its highest-ever QS World University Rankings results

American University of Sharjah (AUS) has achieved its strongest performance ever in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings, climbing 60 places to 272nd globally. This places AUS among the top 18 percent of ranked higher education institutions worldwide.

“Although rankings alone do not define a university, they do serve as an important external signal of the strength of its academic community, the impact of its research and the value its graduates bring to society. This year, we were pleased to have made significant gains in our overall position and across several key indicators. We are particularly proud of our continued strong performance in employer reputation and employer outcomes, both in the UAE and globally, as one of our primary goals is to ensure our graduates make a meaningful impact far beyond AUS,” notes Dr Tod A. Laursen, the Chancellor of AUS.

The latest results announced by QS include marked improvements for AUS in indicators such as employer reputation, academic reputation and citations per faculty. Globally, AUS now ranks third for international faculty and fourth for international student diversity. Within the UAE, it ranks first for employer reputation and international student diversity and second for employment outcomes. AUS also retained its position among the top three universities nationally and made notable progress in academic reputation — rising from the top five to third place.

According to Chancellor Laursen, these results reflect the impact of a clear institutional vision supported by sustained investment in people, programs and partnerships. Over the past year, AUS has expanded its academic portfolio by 33 percent, particularly at the graduate level, and launched six new research centers focused on globally relevant issues ranging from AI to sustainability. AUS also recently announced that starting in Fall 2025, it will introduce five new graduate programs and one undergraduate programme: a Master of Arts in Media Studies and Practice, a Master of Arts in Translation, a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, a PhD in Management and a Bachelor of Science in Data Science — each designed in response to global needs and national development priorities.

Alanood Al Dhaher, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing at AUS, formerly with the Government of Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority, and global communications firm Edelman.

“Since graduating from AUS, I’ve worked alongside peers from top universities around the world. Time and again, I’ve found that the quality of education and training I received at AUS puts me right on par with them, if not ahead. It’s a university that truly prepares you to thrive, both professionally and personally,” says Alanood Al Dhaher, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing at AUS. 

AUS is collaborating with Amazon Web Services to transform the university’s research environment and accelerate the adoption of advanced cloud technologies across the university.

AUS is also seeing significant research breakthroughs in areas of global relevance, from targeted therapies for breast cancer using immunoliposomes and ultrasound, to compact radar systems for drones and blockchain-powered platforms for transparent carbon trading. Alongside the launch of ClymAct, a start-up based on AUS research, these advances signal a growing culture of applied research and innovation on campus.

In parallel to this growing body of innovative research, AUS has been proactively positioning itself at the forefront of AI integration in teaching and learning. The university now offers 58 courses integrating artificial intelligence, along with many others focused on robotics, biotechnology and machine learning. It has also established an AI Hub — housed within the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning — to help faculty and students thoughtfully incorporate AI into their daily teaching, learning and research.

While AUS already attracts some of the brightest minds in the region, its latest QS rankings will likely only strengthen its appeal to top global talent looking to be part of a forward-thinking community. For new students, these rankings will offer reassuring proof that AUS offers a transformative education that is both intellectually rigorous and globally relevant. Ultimately, these results simply affirm what many within the university already know: that AUS is an ambitious community guided by curiosity and a strong drive to contribute meaningfully to knowledge and society across the region.