Alfaisal University

Alfaisal University is a private university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, located in the compound enclosing the vicinity of the al-Ma'dhar Palace. Established in 2002, the institute offers courses in various subjects up to post graduation and is named after King Faisal bin Abdulalziz.

The university was founded by the King Faisal Foundation and admitted its first students in 2008. In the 2025–2026 academic year, it had 7,124 enrolled students. In 2024–2025, it reported 2,155 international students from 53 countries and 331 faculty members. Members of the Board of Trustees are appointed by the King Faisal Foundation.

Academics

Alfaisal University is organized into six colleges: the College of Business, the College of Science and General Studies, the College of Medicine, the College of Engineering and Advanced Computing, the College of Law and International Relations, and the College of Pharmacy. Its academic departments cover fields including business, engineering and advanced computing, medicine, pharmacy, science, and law and international relations.

Accreditation

Alfaisal University is accredited by the Saudi Ministry of Education and institutionally accredited by the National Center for Academic Accreditation and Evaluation.

Ranking

Alfaisal University has appeared in several international rankings. In the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), it was ranked 1805th internationally and 7th nationally in the 2022 ranking; in the 2026 ranking, it is placed 1737th internationally and 19th nationally. On uniRank, it was listed as 5442nd internationally and 23rd nationally in the 2022 ranking; its current uniRank placement is national only, at 25th. It is not listed in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, it was placed in the 301–350 band in 2022; in the 2026 edition, it is placed in the 501–600 band. It was ranked 601–800 in THE's Impact Rankings 2022, and 36th globally in the THE Young University Rankings in 2022, falling to 51st by 2023. It was ranked 9th in THE's Best Small Universities 2021—a list topped by Caltech—and 20th in THE's Emerging Economies University Rankings 2020.

On Webometrics, it was previously ranked 2226th globally and 23rd nationally; in the 2026 edition, it is ranked 4234th globally and 32nd nationally.

In the QS World University Rankings 2026, Alfaisal University is ranked between 801–850. While it maintains a global presence, its specific perception-based scores have seen a decline: Academic Reputation: 7.9/100, Employer Reputation: 5.9/100, and Employment Outcomes: 5.7/100. Conversely, the university excels in internationalization, achieving a perfect 100/100 for its International Faculty Ratio and 96.7/100 for its International Student Ratio.

Its broader standing is often contextualized in the Asia Times article, "University rankings are mostly meaningless".

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