Newszy: Ajman, UAE, 19 October 2026: Gulf Medical University (GMU), the flagship academic institution of Thumbay Group, has made its first official entry in the QS World University Rankings: Arab Region 2027, ranking 125th overall and 1st in the Arab Region for International Student Ratio.
This recognition arrives shortly after Gulf Medical University was named No. 1 in the world for International Outlook in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, with a score of 99.4, the highest of all 2,297 universities from 118 countries and territories assessed. It was GMU’s debut in THE’s World University Rankings, entering in the 1001 to 1200 band as the only specialised medical and health sciences university in the UAE to feature in the 2027 edition. Two independent ranking bodies, using different methodologies, have now reached the same conclusion: when it comes to global reach, GMU sets the benchmark.
Students do not simply learn alongside classmates from every continent. They train inside a fully integrated academic health system, moving from lecture halls to real clinical environments at Thumbay University Hospital and across training sites in the Thumbay Healthcare Network. A future doctor at GMU learns medicine the way it is practised today: in multicultural teams, with patients from all walks of life.
GMU placed in the 101 to 125 band out of 268 institutions in the THE Arab University Rankings 2026. The THE Impact Rankings 2026, which measure progress against the UN Sustainable Development Goals, put the university in the 301 to 400 band out of 1,646, with global ranks of 23rd for SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities, 60th for SDG 4 Quality Education and 64th for SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being. Its College of Pharmacy also features in the 351 to 400 band for Pharmacy and Pharmacology in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026.
Founded in 1998, GMU today offers more than 50 programmes, from foundation level and diplomas through bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, along with internships and residencies. They span medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, health sciences, healthcare management and AI in healthcare. Students come from more than 116 nationalities and are taught by faculty from 56 countries, while over 5,000 graduates now serve healthcare systems worldwide. In June 2026, GMU earned institutional accreditation from the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). This adds to recognition from the World Federation for Medical Education, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (USA), World Physiotherapy, the Australian Dental Council and the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (UK), and all its programmes are accredited by the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation. GMU also received the International Inclusion Award 2026 and the Diversity Champion Award 2026.
Admissions are now open for the Spring 2027 intake. Students from the UAE and abroad who want to study medicine and health sciences can explore programmes, scholarships and application details at www.gmu.ac.ae. For a university that already counts the world in its classrooms, the next chapter starts with those who apply today.