List of 12 best universities in Bahrain

Updated: March 02, 2025

Ranking by academic field

Top 12 universities in Bahrain ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. The rankings are determined by analyzing 300K citations received by 17.7K academic publications made by 12 universities from Bahrain, the popularity of 8 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

1. University of Bahrain

#796 in Asia

#2518 in the World

Enrollment: 33,642
Founded: 1986

2. Ahlia University

#1759 in Asia

#4891 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 2,500
Founded: 2001

3. Arabian Gulf University

#1904 in Asia

#5236 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1981

4. University College of Bahrain

#2574 in Asia

#6733 in the World

Founded: 2002

5. Gulf University

#2721 in Asia

#7010 in the World

Founded: 2001

6. Royal University for Women

#3029 in Asia

#7713 in the World

Founded: 2005

7. AMA International University Bahrain

#3130 in Asia

#7958 in the World

Founded: 2002

8. Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance

#3896 in Asia

#9785 in the World

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 1981

9. Applied Science University

#4484 in Asia

#10968 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Enrollment: 3,000
Founded: 2004

10. Kingdom University

#4774 in Asia

#11576 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Founded: 2002

11. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College of Business

#5352 in Asia

#12926 in the World

Enrollment: 1,500
Founded: 2006

12. New York Institute of Technology Bahrain

#5700 in Asia

#13849 in the World

Enrollment: 1,000
Founded: 2003

The best cities to study in Bahrain based on the number of universities and their ranks are Sakhir, Manama, Sanad, and Riffa.

Average cost of living for students in Bahrain is $583 + $93-666 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).