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

#659 in Asia

#2150 in the World

Enrollment: 33,642
Founded: 1986

2. Arabian Gulf University

#1749 in Asia

#4897 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Founded: 1981

3. Ahlia University

#1776 in Asia

#4974 in the World

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

4. Gulf University

#2588 in Asia

#6779 in the World

Founded: 2001

5. University College of Bahrain

#2598 in Asia

#6801 in the World

Founded: 2002

6. Royal University for Women

#3060 in Asia

#7822 in the World

Founded: 2005

7. Kingdom University

#3113 in Asia

#7947 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Founded: 2002

8. AMA International University Bahrain

#3139 in Asia

#8045 in the World

Founded: 2002

9. Bahrain Institute for Banking and Finance

#3681 in Asia

#9314 in the World

Enrollment: 10,000
Founded: 1981

10. Applied Science University

#4398 in Asia

#10827 in the World

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

11. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College of Business

#5417 in Asia

#13066 in the World

Enrollment: 1,500
Founded: 2006

12. New York Institute of Technology Bahrain

#5757 in Asia

#13940 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 $557 + $94-673 for rent (depends on where to live: dormitory, renting with a roommate or solo).