Saudi Arabia has continued to dominate the Best Arab Region Universities Rankings. The kingdom was featured ten times in the fist fifty and 19 universities - ranked in the QS World University Rankings - in the top 100. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) took pride of place at the top of the Arab region rankings.

The QS World University Rankings is one of the most widely read university comparison. Some other entities that provide definitive list of the world's best universities include the Time Higher Education World University Ranking and Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Up to 192 Arab schools, out of 270, across 21 Arab countries have been categorized. The study is a complementary analysis for the World University Rankings according to 9 indicators in addition to achievements, chances and regional and international challenges faced by the university.

A survey was conducted to announce the ranking by means of a list of questions that are directed to academics from all over the world. They are asked about the best researches in their field of study, the student to staff ratio and the number of researches published by the staff. It also explores feedback given by the entities responsible for the employment and the education quality in addition to the percentage of international students. The QS World University Rankings measures the academic reputation, employer reputation, student-to-faculty ratio, the website, number of published researches and number of citations.

The KFUPM was ranked the best university in the Arab region for the second consecutive year. The American University of Beirut (AUB) came second on the list while the King Saud University was ranked the third before King Abdulaziz University (KAU). Umm Al-Qura University was ranked 18 in the best 20 universities.

The ranking adopted a number of measurements according to which universities vary at the regional and international levels. Thus, the universities that have considerable financial resources are given the chance for better position on the ranking list. So, they can hire enough numbers of qualified teaching staff and open door for more international students from anywhere. However, researches produced by the university stand the most effective factor in the ranking.