Khalifa University, a research-focused public university in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, became the first UAE institution to enter the world’s top 150 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. The Khalifa University ranking sits at #147 globally in QS and #1 in the UAE on the Collegedunia Study Abroad list, with Petroleum Engineering ranked #6 worldwide.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #147 globally
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #186 globally, #1 in UAE
- THE World University Rankings 2026: #201-250 band
- QS Petroleum Engineering 2026: #6 globally
Bottom Line for Indian Students: The Khalifa University ranking pattern shows a 30-place QS jump in a single year, signalling a research engine still gaining altitude. The university trails IIT Bombay by 13 positions in QS 2027 (#134 vs #147) while leading every other Arab Region peer outside Saudi Arabia. For Indian applicants weighing Gulf engineering programs, the QS movement signals degree value will keep compounding across a four-year programme.
Table of Contents
- Khalifa University Overall Rankings 2027
- Khalifa University Bottom Line for Indian Students
- Khalifa University QS World University Rankings
- Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Khalifa University
- Khalifa University Times Higher Education Rankings
- Khalifa University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
- Khalifa University Other Global Rankings
- Khalifa University Subject Rankings
- Khalifa University Ranking FAQs
Read More: Khalifa University Admissions 2026: Deadlines, Eligibility & Acceptance Rate for Indian Students
Khalifa University Overall Rankings 2027
Across five major ranking bodies, the Khalifa University world ranking sits at the top of the UAE on three of them and inside the global top 200 on two. The single biggest gap shows up between QS and US News, where the spread is roughly 190 positions.
| Ranking Body and Edition | Khalifa University Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 | #186 globally, #1 in UAE |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #147 globally |
| THE World University Rankings 2026 | #201-250 band |
| US News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 | #340 globally |
| ARWU (Shanghai) 2025 | #601-700 band |
Khalifa University Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For an Indian applicant, the Khalifa University ranking for Indian students reads strongest in two specific places: engineering subject lists and the UAE national comparison. The Indian comparator that matches it on QS is IIT Bombay, sitting 13 places higher in QS 2027.
| Signal | Number |
|---|---|
| QS World Rank (current) | #147 in 2027 |
| QS Petroleum Engineering | #6 globally |
| QS Chemical Engineering | #94 globally |
| Closest Indian alternative (IIT Bombay) |
#134 in QS 2027 |
Khalifa University QS World University Rankings 2027
The Khalifa University QS ranking climbed 83 places in three years, from #230 in 2024 to #147 in 2027. QS, which scores universities on academic reputation, employer view, faculty, citations and internationalisation, also placed Khalifa at #87 globally for Citations per Faculty.
| Edition Year | Khalifa University QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #147 |
| 2026 | #177 |
| 2025 | #202 |
| 2024 | #230 |
| 2023 | #181 |
Read More: Khalifa University Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of Khalifa University
The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Khalifa University places the institution inside the global top 200 overall and in the top 100 for Engineering. Both the overall and category ranks put it at the top of the UAE.
| Category | Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Overall | #186 of 824 globally, #1 of 15 in UAE |
| Engineering | #77 of 370 globally, #1 of 5 in UAE |
| Computer Science | #103 of 392 globally, #1 of 7 in UAE |
Engineering sits 109 positions higher than the overall rank, which lines up with QS, THE and ARWU all rating Khalifa’s engineering strength above its all-subject average. For an Indian student picking between Gulf options, the Engineering category is the rank to compare against IIT, NIT and BITS choices.
India-relevance: Across 15 UAE universities ranked by Collegedunia in 2026, Khalifa University is the only one to break the global top 100 in any engineering category, which simplifies shortlist building for Indian engineering applicants.
Khalifa University Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings
The Khalifa University THE ranking has held the 201-250 band for two consecutive editions. THE, which weights teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook, also placed Khalifa #5 in its 2026 Arab University Rankings and #37 in Asia in 2025.
| Edition Year | Khalifa University THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #201-250 |
| 2025 | #201-250 |
The flat THE band sits roughly 40 to 100 places below where QS places the same university, the gap that any rank-watcher familiar with the two bodies expects: QS gives more weight to reputation and internationalisation, both of which Khalifa scores high on. For an Indian applicant who values teaching quality and research income equally, the steady 201-250 read confirms the headline QS jump is being matched by underlying delivery.
Trend signal: A two-year hold inside 201-250 on THE, while QS climbed 55 places over the same window, is the cleanest evidence that Khalifa’s QS rise is real and not a reputation-only bump.
Khalifa University ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings
The Khalifa University ARWU ranking jumped one band between 2022 and 2023 and has held the 601-700 tier since. ARWU, which scores universities mainly on research output, Nobel and Fields prize counts and highly cited researchers, also places Khalifa #1 in the UAE.
| Edition Year | Khalifa University ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #601-700 |
| 2024 | #601-700 |
| 2023 | #601-700 |
| 2022 | #801-900 |
| 2021 | #801-900 |
Khalifa University Other Global Rankings
The Khalifa University US News ranking enters the picture at #340 globally and #3 in UAE for the 2026-2027 edition. US News Best Global Universities scores institutions almost entirely on research output, citations, and international research collaboration.
| Ranking | Edition | Khalifa University Rank |
|---|---|---|
| US News Best Global Universities | 2026-2027 | #340 globally, #3 in UAE |
Khalifa University Subject Rankings
The Khalifa University subject rankings outperform the overall rank in nearly every engineering discipline, and Petroleum Engineering is the standout. The university also ranks in the global top 100 for Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Citations per Faculty.
Khalifa University QS Petroleum Engineering Rankings
The QS Petroleum Engineering rank is the single highest subject signal for the university, sitting 141 places above the overall QS rank. The 2026 jump puts it in the company of Imperial College, Stanford and TU Delft.
| Edition Year | QS Petroleum Engineering Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #6 |
| 2025 | #7 |
Khalifa University QS Engineering Subject Rankings
QS lists Khalifa inside the global top 150 across five engineering disciplines in its 2026 subject editions. Four of those five disciplines improved their rank year-on-year.
| Subject | QS 2026 Rank | QS 2025 Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | #92 | #102 |
| Chemical Engineering | #94 | 151-200 |
| Engineering and Technology (broad) | #131 | #107 |
| Computer Science and Information Systems | #137 | #156 |
| Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing | Top 150 | Top 200 |
Khalifa University THE Subject Rankings
THE subject rankings cluster Khalifa University inside the top 250 for Engineering, Computer Science and Physical Sciences in the 2026 edition. THE Engineering matches the QS Engineering and Technology band, both in the #126-150 range.
| Subject | THE 2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Engineering | #126-150 |
| Computer Science | #201-250 |
| Physical Sciences | #251-300 |
Khalifa University ARWU GRAS Subject Rankings
The ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025 puts Khalifa University inside the global top 50 in Electrical Engineering and inside the top 100 in four more engineering disciplines. ARWU GRAS is the most research-heavy of the subject lists, so a rank here means high paper counts and citations specifically.
| Subject | ARWU GRAS 2025 Rank |
|---|---|
| Electrical and Electronic Engineering | #50 |
| Telecommunication Engineering | #51-75 |
| Robotic Science and Engineering | #51-75 |
| Chemical Engineering | #76-100 |
| Aerospace Engineering | #76-100 |
| Instruments Science and Technology | #101-150 |
| Energy Science and Engineering | #101-150 |
| Mechanical Engineering | #151-200 |
The Khalifa University ranking trajectory now reads as three separate confirmations of the same story: a 30-place QS jump, a held THE band and three straight years inside ARWU’s #601-700 tier. For an Indian applicant choosing between Gulf options today, Khalifa’s QS #147, top-10 QS Petroleum Engineering rank and top-3 Arab Region position together make it the most rank-justified UAE choice for engineering and applied sciences.
Khalifa University Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the Khalifa University QS World ranking in 2027?
Ans. Khalifa University is ranked #147 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. It is the first UAE university to enter the global top 150.
Ques. How does the Khalifa University ranking compare to IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi?
Ans. In QS 2027, IIT Delhi is at #118, IIT Bombay at #134 and Khalifa University at #147. Khalifa trails the top two IITs by 13 to 29 spots but ranks ahead of every other Indian university on QS.
Ques. What is the Khalifa University THE ranking?
Ans. Khalifa University sits in the #201-250 band on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and is the top-ranked university in the UAE on THE. It also ranks #5 on THE Arab University Rankings 2026.
Ques. Which subject has the highest Khalifa University ranking?
Ans. Petroleum Engineering is the highest-ranked subject at #6 globally on QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. The university has held a top-10 QS rank in Petroleum Engineering for three consecutive years.
Ques. What is the Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Khalifa University?
Ans. The Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking of Khalifa University is #186 globally and #1 in the UAE for 2026. Engineering ranks higher at #77 globally and Computer Science at #103 globally.
Ques. What is the Khalifa University ARWU ranking?
Ans. Khalifa University sits in the #601-700 band on the ARWU (Shanghai) Ranking 2025 and is #1 in the UAE. The university lifted one full band between 2022 and 2023 and has held the higher band for three editions.
Ques. Is the Khalifa University ranking trajectory good for Indian students starting now?
Ans. Yes. The QS rank has improved by #83 places in three years and posted a 30-place jump in the most recent cycle. An Indian student starting a four-year programme in 2026 is likely to graduate against a stronger global rank than the one they applied with.
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