27 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Saudi Arabia

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Saudi Arabia ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 3.47M citations received by 187K academic papers made by 27 universities in Saudi Arabia was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. King Saud University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#67 in Asia

#504 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Enrollment: 61,412
Founded: 1957

2. King AbdulAziz University

Saudi Arabia | Jeddah

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#88 in Asia

#601 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Founded: 1967

3. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Saudi Arabia | Dhahran

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#225 in Asia

#1063 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Founded: 1963

4. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Saudi Arabia | Thuwal

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#327 in Asia

#1372 in the World

Enrollment: 940
Founded: 2009

5. Qassim University

Saudi Arabia | Qassim

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#437 in Asia

#1663 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Enrollment: 50,054
Male:Female: 35:65
Founded: 2004

6. King Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Ahsa

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#442 in Asia

#1679 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Founded: 1975

7. King Khalid University

Saudi Arabia | Abha

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#454 in Asia

#1711 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1998

8. Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Dammam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#465 in Asia

#1739 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Enrollment: 20,000
Founded: 1975

9. Umm Al-Qura University

Saudi Arabia | Mecca

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#511 in Asia

#1856 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1981

10. King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#521 in Asia

#1888 in the World

Founded: 2005

11. Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Kharj

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#527 in Asia

#1913 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Founded: 2009

12. Taibah University

Saudi Arabia | Medina

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#595 in Asia

#2091 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Enrollment: 74,877
Founded: 2003

13. Taif University

Saudi Arabia | Taif

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#630 in Asia

#2154 in the World

Founded: 2003

14. Prince Sultan University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#678 in Asia

#2259 in the World

Enrollment: 6,269
Male:Female: 46:54
Founded: 1999

15. Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#685 in Asia

#2276 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 71%
Enrollment: 85,367
Founded: 1974

16. Jazan University

Saudi Arabia | Jazan

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#696 in Asia

#2306 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Enrollment: 54,999
Founded: 2005

17. Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#764 in Asia

#2485 in the World

Founded: 2008

18. Alfaisal University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#991 in Asia

#2964 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 3,000
Founded: 2007

19. University of Tabuk

Saudi Arabia | Tabuk

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1001 in Asia

#2983 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 2006

20. Al Jouf University

Saudi Arabia | Sakakah

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1004 in Asia

#2990 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Majmaah University

Saudi Arabia | Al Majma'ah

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1024 in Asia

#3036 in the World

Enrollment: 19,956
Founded: 2009

22. Najran University

Saudi Arabia | Najran

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1133 in Asia

#3258 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Enrollment: 46,000
Founded: 2006

23. Northern Borders University

Saudi Arabia | Arar

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1283 in Asia

#3607 in the World

Enrollment: 15,300
Founded: 2007

24. Shaqra University

Saudi Arabia | Shaqra

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1313 in Asia

#3660 in the World

Founded: 2008

25. Al Baha University

Saudi Arabia | Al Baha

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1381 in Asia

#3785 in the World

Enrollment: 22,914
Founded: 2006

26. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University

Saudi Arabia | Khobar

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1468 in Asia

#3967 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Enrollment: 5,820
Founded: 2006

27. Effat University

Saudi Arabia | Jeddah

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1558 in Asia

#4146 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 2,093
Founded: 1999

The best cities to study Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Saudi Arabia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran, and Thuwal.