Manama – Arabian Gulf University: The Arabian Gulf University (AGU) has achieved a new global academic milestone, with its education disciplines, specifically Gifted Education and Developmental Disabilities, ranked among the world’s top 301–400 universities in the latest Times Higher Education (THE) Subject Rankings 2026, one of the most prominent international indicators for assessing university performance across academic disciplines.

His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of AGU, affirmed that this achievement reflects the success of the University’s ambitious institutional journey to enhance the quality of education and scientific research. He noted that AGU’s focus on developing specialised disciplines, particularly in education studies, has played a key role in strengthening the University’s global standing and academic reputation.

His Excellency added that the University remains committed to implementing its strategic vision centred on leadership and quality, ensuring the delivery of credible academic programmes and competitive learning outcomes at both regional and international levels, while contributing effectively to the advancement of education systems across the region.

The Times Higher Education ranking is based on a set of rigorous criteria for evaluating universities worldwide, encompassing five core pillars: teaching quality, research environment, research output in terms of volume and impact, international outlook and industry engagement. These indicators highlight an institution’s ability to deliver an outstanding learning experience, advance high-quality research, foster innovation and excellence, and align academic outputs with labour market and societal needs, making the ranking a reliable global benchmark for assessing academic and economic impact.

In this context, Dr Ghazi bin Abdulrahman Al Otaibi, Vice President for Academic Affairs at AGU, stated that this global recognition of the University’s education disciplines is the result of sustained developmental efforts to prepare teachers in line with robust international standards, foremost among them the standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which are grounded in evidence-based accreditation that ensures programme quality and supports continuous improvement. 

He further explained that aligning education programmes with these international standards, alongside curriculum development and the enhancement of applied research, has consolidated the University’s global academic position and paved the way for this advanced ranking in the Times Higher Education 2026 subject classifications.

For his part, Dr Adel Kamal, Supervisor of the Academic Accreditation Unit at the for Quality and Excellence Centre, noted that this achievement stems from the University’s strong commitment to quality assurance and academic accreditation standards, as well as the continuous development of its programmes in line with global ranking requirements and labour market needs.

He added that AGU has successfully strengthened its academic presence in the field of education by enhancing the efficiency of the learning process and expanding the impact of its research output, enabling it to compete within a prestigious international ranking framework.

This achievement further consolidates AGU’s position as a leading educational institution in education disciplines at both the regional and international levels, and reaffirms its role in preparing highly qualified education professionals who contribute to shaping the future of education.