27 Best universities for Astrophysics and Astronomy 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 Astrophysics and Astronomy. A graph of 543K citations received by 23.7K 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 AbdulAziz University

Saudi Arabia | Jeddah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#73 in Asia

#367 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Founded: 1967

2. King Saud University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#112 in Asia

#542 in the World

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

3. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Saudi Arabia | Thuwal

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#140 in Asia

#636 in the World

Enrollment: 940
Founded: 2009

4. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Saudi Arabia | Dhahran

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#155 in Asia

#681 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Founded: 1963

5. King Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Ahsa

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#472 in Asia

#1440 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Founded: 1975

6. Taibah University

Saudi Arabia | Medina

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#512 in Asia

#1524 in the World

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

7. King Khalid University

Saudi Arabia | Abha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#521 in Asia

#1544 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1998

8. Qassim University

Saudi Arabia | Qassim

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#597 in Asia

#1723 in the World

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

9. Taif University

Saudi Arabia | Taif

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#604 in Asia

#1737 in the World

Founded: 2003

10. Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Dammam

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#655 in Asia

#1826 in the World

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

11. Umm Al-Qura University

Saudi Arabia | Mecca

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#676 in Asia

#1862 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1981

12. Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#720 in Asia

#1953 in the World

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

13. University of Tabuk

Saudi Arabia | Tabuk

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#792 in Asia

#2091 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 2006

14. Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Kharj

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#803 in Asia

#2114 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Founded: 2009

15. Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#854 in Asia

#2223 in the World

Founded: 2008

16. Prince Sultan University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1034 in Asia

#2580 in the World

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

17. Jazan University

Saudi Arabia | Jazan

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1044 in Asia

#2599 in the World

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

18. Najran University

Saudi Arabia | Najran

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1064 in Asia

#2652 in the World

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

19. King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1071 in Asia

#2665 in the World

Founded: 2005

20. Al Jouf University

Saudi Arabia | Sakakah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1098 in Asia

#2716 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Majmaah University

Saudi Arabia | Al Majma'ah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1099 in Asia

#2717 in the World

Enrollment: 19,956
Founded: 2009

22. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University

Saudi Arabia | Khobar

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1222 in Asia

#2984 in the World

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

23. Northern Borders University

Saudi Arabia | Arar

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1248 in Asia

#3039 in the World

Enrollment: 15,300
Founded: 2007

24. Al Baha University

Saudi Arabia | Al Baha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1482 in Asia

#3527 in the World

Enrollment: 22,914
Founded: 2006

25. Shaqra University

Saudi Arabia | Shaqra

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1522 in Asia

#3619 in the World

Founded: 2008

26. Effat University

Saudi Arabia | Jeddah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1536 in Asia

#3657 in the World

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

27. Alfaisal University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1557 in Asia

#3701 in the World

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

The best cities to study Astrophysics and Astronomy in Saudi Arabia based on the number of universities and their ranks are Jeddah, Riyadh, Thuwal, and Dhahran.

Physics subfields in Saudi Arabia

Acoustical Engineering27

Applied/Engineering Physics18

Astrobiology7

Atomic and Molecular physics20

Biophysics12

Condensed Matter Physics25

Optical Engineering27

Quantum and Particle physics27

Theoretical Physics20