Sharjah

QS Best Student Cities ranking: 77^th

Sharjah is the third-largest city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the state that shares its name. In 1998 UNESCO awarded the city the title ‘Cultural Capital of the Arab World’, and justly so – there are many cultural landmarks here, and Sharjah has kept the spirit of its history alive by integrating tradition into every phase of its modern development.

There’s plenty to do in Sharjah, including a visit to the Eye of the Emirates, a 60m-high observation wheel offering views across Sharjah and Dubai; browsing the spectacular Blue Souk shopping center; and admiring the beautiful Khalid Lagoon, which has the third-tallest fountain in the world and hosts the annual F1 Powerboat Race.

Sharjah has been officially named as a World Health Organization (WHO) ‘healthy city’ – no doubt helped by the fact that alcohol is almost entirely prohibited. The city also gets a high score in the safety index compiled by Numbeo, and is considered quite conservative and more reserved than Dubai (modest dress is essential).

Sharjah’s University City, similar to Dubai’s International Academic City, is an area with a high concentration of universities. This includes the third-highest-ranked university in the UAE, American University of Sharjah (ranked 441-450 in the world). Sharjah receives a high score in the Student Mix category of the QS Best Student Cities index, with a whopping 50% of students at ranked universities coming from outside of the country – the highest percentage of international enrolments in the entire index.

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Internationally ranked universities in Sharjah

More about Sharjah

To find out how each of the above categories is calculated, view the methodology.