Academic rankings indicate progress among Saudi universities after the adoption of the new university system.
Those welcoming and concerned about the new university system talk about the tuition fees paid.
QS Advisor: Saudi Arabia remains the top performer in academic rankings
Some undergraduate graduates are finding it difficult to complete their postgraduate studies on a fee-based basis. This follows the issuance of a royal decree on November 8, 2019, approving the new Saudi university system. The new system includes 69 articles, some of which focus on university funding, including the approval of tuition fees for certain majors and degrees. The new system will be implemented after Ramadan of this year.
While some undergraduate students describe the fees as an obstacle to continuing their education, officials describe them as a step in the right direction toward rising to the ranks of advanced universities.
Between the two sides of the debate is a third party that reveals whether the changes to the university system are appropriate for advancing to the ranks of advanced universities or whether they are reducing the scientific wealth generated by postgraduate research. This third party is academic ranking institutions around the world, most notably the British Times and QS rankings, which are considered academic rankings relied upon by most universities around the world.
The ranking is based on five factors: the research strength of universities, the proportion of international students, the number of degree programs, the faculty, and the percentage of scientific citations taken from the university's research by all researchers around the world.
The Times is promising
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings are based on the above factors, in addition to other factors, including: gender distribution (male and female students), financial returns from science and technology research when applied on the ground, and the university's international reputation, which is measured by three indicators: the ratio of international students to local students, the ratio of international staff to local students, and the proportion of research involving international collaboration.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings relies on rankings of the top 1,400 universities across 92 countries.
When we compare the three years 2018 - 2019 - 2020 to understand the status of universities before, during and after the issuance of the new university system, we notice that the number of Saudi universities in 2018 was five universities, the first of which was King Abdulaziz University, which is ranked among the (201-250) international universities, as the university maintained its ranking on this list for three years.
It's worth noting that King Abdulaziz University did not abolish free postgraduate studies after the new system was introduced, but rather made paid study available to those who wished to pursue it.
The same is the case with King Saud University, which has remained ranked 501-650 for the past three years.
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals has gone through a significant turning point despite being a public university. This change was represented by the transfer of supervision from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Energy. The change did not exempt it from implementing the new university system, as it remained in the Times classification in 2018 and 2020 within the list of (601-800) international universities.
These universities are preparing to implement the new system, while the remaining universities remain in the qualification and preparation phase.
The best in the Arab world
In a speech delivered by Dr. Shadi Hegazy, Business and Training Advisor at QS World University Rankings, regarding the rankings for the beginning of 2020, Dr. Hegazy commended King Abdulaziz University's achievement of first place in the Arab world, attributing this to the university's contribution to the transformation taking place in the Saudi economy.
Dr. Hijazi also highlighted the performance of Saudi universities in his speech published in the 2020 QS issue, saying, "The Kingdom continues to perform at the top of the rankings, with three Saudi universities ranked among the top 10 Arab universities, and 23 other Saudi universities appearing on the list of 131 Arab universities."
In concluding his remarks, Dr. Hijazi noted that a decline in rankings does not necessarily indicate a decline in performance. He added that universities in the Arab region are, more than ever before, keen to develop and increase their global recognition, making competition even more intense compared to previous years.
Returning to the rankings and comparing them between 2019 and 2020—before and after the decision was issued—we find that King Abdulaziz University advanced from third to first place, while King Saud University and King Fahd University each slightly declined by two places.
This ranking matches the Times Higher Education ranking in terms of criteria, in addition to another criterion, which is the academic network and the popularity of its official website.
Between welcome and anxiety
The recent decision was officially welcomed by local officials, who affirmed that the new university system is a step towards elevating Saudi universities to the ranks of advanced international universities.
However, in academic circles at Taibah University, which has implemented the latest decision regarding tuition fees for postgraduate studies, there are those who cautiously welcome the decision and those who express concern about its impact on some people continuing their postgraduate studies. Hatem Wazneh, an educational supervisor in the city’s education department, told the newspaper: “This decision particularly affects those with limited incomes, especially since the student has strived hard to obtain the highest grades in the undergraduate stage in order to enroll in postgraduate studies, but the presence of tuition fees will unfortunately hinder the ambitions of a very large number of them.”
On the other hand, Dr. Noura Al-Awfi, a faculty member at Taibah University, had a cautiously welcoming opinion about the fees, saying: “Universities have the right to demand them and make them a condition for enrollment in programs. The impact is certainly positive for universities through the financial benefits they generate. Conversely, the issue of imposing fees burdens students who wish to enroll in these programs, as many do not have the financial means despite their determination and perseverance to study.”
She has nothing to fear
In addition to the promising statistics provided by Times Higher Education and QS regarding the level of Saudi universities, the same is true of the well-known Chinese Shanghai Ranking, the Spanish Weber Metrics ranking, and the American News US ranking. They all agree that the academic level of the Kingdom's public universities is advancing despite recent decisions. This is because these universities support scientific research, which is the foundation of any university's progress. There is no benefit to having a large number of students with limited academic achievement, as this places a financial burden on public universities to accommodate everyone, while the scientific output does not match the input.
