Webometrics’ Ranking Reflects King Saud University’s Significant International Presence
In another indication of Saudi universities’ stature internationally, King Saud University was No. 186 among the top 200 international universities in the latest Webometrics Spanish International Ranking of World Universities, released in July.
Webometrics ranked King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) No. 302 among the best 400 international universities.
The ranking is an indication of a university’s web presence, and an aim of it is to encourage researchers to publish more scientific content on the Internet.
Among the factors used in determining the rankings are the size and number of web pages recovered from search engines, visibility, the number of rich files available and the number of citations found in Google Scholar.
Saudi universities remain the best five Arab universities. Also in the top five are (3) King Abdulaziz University (KAU), which is No. 790 worldwide; (4) Umm Al-Qura University, which is No. 955 worldwide; and (5) Al-Imam Mohammed bin Saud University, which ranks No. 1,000 worldwide.
Table of the ranking of Saudi universities on the Arab World level, according to the Webometrics classification of July 2011
| Arab Ranking | University | Country | World Ranking |
| First | KSU | Saudi Arabia | 186 |
| Second | KFUPM | Saudi Arabia | 302 |
| Third | King Abdualaziz University | Saudi Arabia | 790 |
| Fourth | Umm Al-Qura University | Saudi Arabia | 955 |
| Fifth | Al-Imam University | Saudi Arabia | 1000 |
KSU has maintained its No. 1 position among universities of the Arab world, Islamic world, the Middle East and Africa. KSU is No. 19 among Asian universities.
Table of the ranking of Saudi universities on the Islamic World and Asia levels, according to the Webometrics classification of July 2011
| Islamic Ranking | University | Country | World Ranking | Asia Ranking |
| First | KSU | Saudi Arabia | 186 | 19 |
| Second | KFUPM | Saudi Arabia | 302 | 37 |
| Third | University of Technology, Malaysia | Malaysia | 419 | 47 |
| Fourth | Science University, Malaysia | Malaysia | 428 | 48 |
| Fifth | National University of Malaysia | Malaysia | 462 | 51 |
KSU has been No. 1 among Saudi, Arab and Islamic universities in Webometrics for seven consecutive rounds, starting in 2008. Few international universities can boast such an achievement. In 2010, KSU also placed among the best 400 international universities on the Shanghai scale, the most rigorous of international universities ranking scales. It also placed No. 221 internationally and first on the Arab and Islamic levels in the British QS World University Ranking in 2010.
Table of the ranking of the best six Saudi universities on the international level from July 2008 to July 2011, according to the Webometrics classification
| University | July 2008 | January 2009 | July 2009 | January 2010 | July 2010 | January 2011 | July 2011 |
| KSU | 380 | 292 | 197 | 199 | 164 | 212 | 186 |
| KFUPM | 420 | 302 | 303 | 404 | 178 | 544 | 302 |
| King Abdulaziz University | 2106 | 1203 | 1072 | 496 | 291 | 1006 | 790 |
| Umm Al-Qura University | 2829 | – | 1968 | 1050 | 681 | 1030 | 955 |
| Al-Imam University | 2957 | 1788 | 636 | 835 | - | 998 | 1000 |
| King Faisal University | 2646 | 1712 | 993 | 1527 | 2210 | 1433 | 1256 |
Table of the ranking of the best six Saudi universities on the Arab countries level from July 2008 to July 2011, according to the Webometrics classification
| University | July 2007 | July 2008 | January 2009 | July 2009 | January 2010 | July 2010 | January 2011 | July 2011 | |
| 1 | KSU | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | KFUPM | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | King Abdulaziz University | 23 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Umm Al-Qura University | - | - | - | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| 5 | Al-Imam University | 69 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | - | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | King Faisal University | 36 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 9 |
The Webometrics ranking, which started in 2004, is an initiative by the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group that is part of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) in Spain.
The rankings are published twice yearly with about 20,000 institutions of higher education worldwide surveyed.
For more information about the Webometrics, see www.isometrics.info.
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Tags: university rankings, Webometrics
Tue, 2 Aug, 2011
Main, University Rankings