Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez Remains Best in Morocco

Rabat – Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Fez has maintained its position as the best university in Morocco, according to the Times Higher Education 2021 World University Rankings.

The university is the only Moroccan higher education institution that made it to the top 1,000 of the global rankings, appearing in the 801-1,000 section.

The 2021 rankings included four other Moroccan universities: Hassan II University in Casablanca, Ibn Tofail University in Kenitra, Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, and Mohammed V University in Rabat. The four universities appeared in the 1,001+ section.

Despite keeping its position as the best university in Morocco, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University’s global rank declined compared to the 2020 World University Rankings. In the previous ranking, the Fez university appeared in the 601-800 section.

The Times Higher Education magazine takes into consideration five different criteria when ranking universities: Teaching, research, citations, industry income, and international outlook.

Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University earned the highest score among Moroccan universities in terms of citations. Meanwhile, Mohammed V University scored the highest in teaching, research, and industry income, and the Cadi Ayyad University earned the best score in terms of international outlook.

On the global ladder, the University of Oxford remained in first place, followed by Stanford University, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The University of Cambridge, University of California Berkeley, Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Chicago complete, in order, the top 10 of the 2021 World University Rankings.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, two universities from Saudi Arabia ranked first and second: King Abdulaziz University (201-250 globally) and Alfaisal University (251-300). The ranking positioned the United Arab Emirates University (301-350) as the third best university in the MENA region.