27 Best universities for Astrophysics and Astronomy in Saudi Arabia

Updated: March 02, 2025

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 486K citations received by 22.5K 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

#375 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 25%
Founded: 1967

2. King Saud University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#113 in Asia

#552 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

#142 in Asia

#652 in the World

Enrollment: 940
Founded: 2009

4. King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Saudi Arabia | Dhahran

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#151 in Asia

#679 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 17%
Founded: 1963

5. King Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Ahsa

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#479 in Asia

#1460 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 81%
Founded: 1975

6. Taibah University

Saudi Arabia | Medina

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#508 in Asia

#1530 in the World

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

7. King Khalid University

Saudi Arabia | Abha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#525 in Asia

#1572 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 70%
Founded: 1998

8. Taif University

Saudi Arabia | Taif

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#606 in Asia

#1751 in the World

Enrollment: 42,765
Founded: 2003

9. Qassim University

Saudi Arabia | Qassim

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#630 in Asia

#1793 in the World

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

10. Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University

Saudi Arabia | Dammam

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#675 in Asia

#1874 in the World

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

11. Umm Al-Qura University

Saudi Arabia | Mecca

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#683 in Asia

#1888 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Founded: 1981

12. Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#737 in Asia

#2003 in the World

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

13. University of Tabuk

Saudi Arabia | Tabuk

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#789 in Asia

#2100 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 2006

14. Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University

Saudi Arabia | Al-Kharj

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#833 in Asia

#2191 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Founded: 2009

15. Princess Nora bint Abdulrahman University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#927 in Asia

#2386 in the World

Founded: 2008

16. Najran University

Saudi Arabia | Najran

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1072 in Asia

#2674 in the World

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

17. Prince Sultan University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1076 in Asia

#2684 in the World

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

18. Jazan University

Saudi Arabia | Jazan

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1100 in Asia

#2738 in the World

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

19. King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1102 in Asia

#2741 in the World

Founded: 2005

20. Al Jouf University

Saudi Arabia | Sakakah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1104 in Asia

#2747 in the World

Founded: 2005

21. Majmaah University

Saudi Arabia | Al Majma'ah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1106 in Asia

#2749 in the World

Enrollment: 19,956
Founded: 2009

22. Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University

Saudi Arabia | Khobar

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1223 in Asia

#3012 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Founded: 2006

23. Northern Borders University

Saudi Arabia | Arar

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1255 in Asia

#3083 in the World

Enrollment: 15,300
Founded: 2007

24. Effat University

Saudi Arabia | Jeddah

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1515 in Asia

#3623 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 1,311
Founded: 1999

25. Al Baha University

Saudi Arabia | Al Baha

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1520 in Asia

#3634 in the World

Enrollment: 22,914
Founded: 2006

26. Shaqra University

Saudi Arabia | Shaqra

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1549 in Asia

#3696 in the World

Founded: 2008

27. Alfaisal University

Saudi Arabia | Riyadh

For Astrophysics and Astronomy

#1617 in Asia

#3844 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 Physics16

Astrobiology5

Atomic and Molecular physics20

Biophysics10

Condensed Matter Physics25

Optical Engineering27

Quantum and Particle physics27

Theoretical Physics20