UQU has achieved the 1001st position in the Times Ranking for the year 2021 A.C., in return for its academic and research efforts to improve its knowledge outcomes within its endeavors to become one of the world-class universities.

His Excellency the President of the University, Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, indicated that this ranking is an initial step towards the university's plan, which aims at placing Umm Al-Qura among the top 200 international universities in the coming ten years, in line with its set strategy to develop and improve its competitiveness. He added that Umm Al-Qura University is also included in the list of the top 500 global universities, as it advanced in the British QS ranking list of international universities for the year 2021.

His Excellency pointed out that the University Strategic Plan (Tamkeen 2023) aims at improving its competitiveness at the local, regional and international levels, and to place Umm Al-Qura University within the top 200 universities at the global level by 2030. He added that this can be achieved through the continuous development and improvement of its outcomes, and by maintaining the academic and institutional work in accordance with international standards.

The Times Ranking includes 12 indicators falling under five main measurements: the quality of the educational process in the university; the reputation of the university’s research, its excellence, and the return from this research; the quality and impact of the university; the university's global trends; and the university's income from the industrial sector.