University of Alfashir 2026–2027: History, Specializations, Scientific Research and Rankings

University of Alfashir 2026–2027: History, Specializations, Scientific Research and Rankings

University of Alfashir – UAF

El Fasher – North Darfur State – Sudan

Last updated: September 2026

About the University of Alfashir

The University of Alfashir is Public university a Sudanese university located in the city of El Fasher, capital of North Darfur State.

The idea of establishing a university institution in the Darfur region dates back to November 1975, when a decision was issued to establish a university in Darfur. Then, in 1990 a decision was issued to establish a university in Darfur under the name Alfateh University of September, and it was officially opened in the city of El Fasher in February 1991.

After the Darfur region was divided into states in 1993, the faculties located in El Fasher became the nucleus of the University of Alfashir in its current form.

The university describes itself as a public governmental institution with a national orientation, a member of Sudanese, Arab and African university unions, with academic and cultural cooperation agreements with universities and institutions inside and outside Sudan.

Basic Information

History of the University of Alfashir

1975: The beginning of the university idea

The historical roots date back to November 1975, when a decision was issued to establish a university in Darfur.

The aim of establishing a university institution in the region was to provide higher education to the population and to link education and scientific research to Darfur's development needs.

1990: Establishment of Alfateh University of September

In 1990, a Republican decree was issued to establish a university in Darfur under the name Alfateh University of September.

1991: Official opening

The university was officially opened in February 1991 in the city of El Fasher.

According to historical information published by the university, its first campus was in buildings west of El Fasher Airport and south of the former El Fasher Secondary School.

1993: Emergence of the University of Alfashir in its current form

After the Darfur region was divided into three states, the faculties located in the city of El Fasher became the core nucleus of the university later known as University of El Fasher.

Development of the University

The University of Alfashir evolved from an institution with limited specializations into a university comprising a wide range of faculties in:

• Humanities.
• Education.
• Economics and management.
• Law and Sharia.
• Agriculture.
• Medicine.
• Dentistry.
• Pharmacy.
• Veterinary Medicine.
• Health sciences.
• Medical laboratories.
• Engineering.
• Computer science.
• Mathematical Sciences.
• Environment and Natural Resources.

This diversity reflects the university's effort to meet the educational and developmental needs of North Darfur and the wider region.

University of Alfashir Faculties

According to the current list published on the university's official website, the faculties include:

1. Faculty of Arts
2. Faculty of Economics and Social Studies
3. Faculty of Education
4. Faculty of Education for Basic Education
5. Faculty of Human Development
6. Faculty of Graduate Studies
7. Faculty of Agriculture – Kabkabiya
8. Faculty of Sharia and Law
9. Faculty of Pharmacy
10. Faculty of Medicine
11. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
12. Faculty of Administrative Sciences
13. Faculty of Mathematical Sciences
14. Faculty of Health Sciences
15. Faculty of the Holy Quran and Islamic Studies
16. Faculty of Medical Laboratories
17. Faculty of Engineering
18. Faculty of Dentistry
19. Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources
20. Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology

This makes the university a multidisciplinary institution combining medical, applied, humanities, agricultural, legal, and technical education.

Academic Specializations

First: Medicine and Health Sciences

The health sector is one of the university's most prominent sectors and includes:

• Faculty of Medicine.
• Faculty of Dentistry.
• Faculty of Pharmacy.
• Faculty of Health Sciences.
• Faculty of Medical Laboratories.

Fields of study include:

• Medicine and Surgery.
• Dentistry.
• Pharmacy.
• Medical laboratory sciences.
• Health and Applied Sciences.

Recent research published in 2026 shows the University of Alfashir's association with medical education and clinical training research in Sudan, including studies on the impact of the war on physician training and surgical specialties.

Second: Veterinary Medicine

The university comprises Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, a specialization of particular importance in the North Darfur environment, where livestock is linked to the local economy and the livelihoods of broad segments of society.

The faculty provides an academic and research field connected to animal health, animal production, and veterinary services.

Third: Agriculture

The university comprises Faculty of Agriculture in Kabkabiya.

This specialization is linked to the nature of the region and its needs in:

• Agricultural production.
• Crop protection.
• Natural resources.
• Rural development.
• Food security.
• Sustainable agriculture.

The agriculture sector is one of the important areas that can link university scientific research to local development issues in Darfur.

Fourth: Engineering and Technology

The university comprises Faculty of Engineering and Technology, which works to prepare personnel in engineering and applied fields.

The technical system also includes:

• Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology.
• Computer and Information Technology Center.
• E-learning.

The presence of these components reflects the university's orientation toward strengthening digital transformation and technical skills.

Fifth: Computer Science and Information Technology

The university comprises a faculty specializing in:

Computer science and information technology.

The Computer and Information Technology Center also manages the university's technical and digital services.

In 2026, the university launched the electronic Student Platform to support the continuity of the educational process and academic services — part of the university's drive to expand the use of digital education under current circumstances.

Sixth: Science and Mathematics

The university includes:

• Faculty of Mathematical Sciences.
• Fields related to mathematics and the basic sciences.

These fields provide a supporting academic base for engineering, technical, and scientific specializations.

Seventh: Economics and Administration

The system includes:

• Faculty of Economics and Social Studies.
• Faculty of Administrative Sciences.

Related fields include:

• Economics.
• Business Administration.
• Accounting.
• Administrative sciences.
• Social studies.
• Development.

Eighth: Law and Sharia

The university comprises:

• Faculty of Sharia and Law.
• Faculty of the Holy Quran and Islamic Studies.

The field includes:

• Islamic Sharia.
• Law.
• Islamic Studies.
• The Holy Quran and its sciences.

The university has also been associated with research projects in the field of human rights and law; in 2019, the Human Rights Knowledge Center was opened in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, and the center was affiliated with the Faculty of Sharia and Law.

Ninth: Arts and Humanities

The Faculty of Arts comprises a range of humanities and social fields.

These studies acquire particular importance in the Darfur context, given topics such as:

• Society.
• Culture.
• History.
• Language.
• Development.
• Social relations.
• Conflict and peace.

Tenth: Education

The university comprises:

• Faculty of Education.
• Faculty of Education for Basic Education.

Both faculties work to prepare educational staff and qualify teachers in the various fields of education.

Graduate studies

The University of Alfashir comprises a Faculty of Graduate Studies, which oversees graduate programs and academic research.

The graduate studies system includes programs in specializations linked to the various faculties, with master's and doctoral programs offered according to approved regulations and programs.

Historical university data indicates that the number of graduate students reached 674 students out of a total of 15,221 students in the 2017–2018 academic year.

Note: This figure should not be used as the number of graduate students in 2026; it is a historical figure published by the university for 2017–2018.

Scientific Research

The university has a scientific research system consisting of:

• Deanship of Scientific Research.
• Research and Studies Center.
• Computer and Information Technology Center.
• Languages Center.
• Quality Assurance Center.
• Research areas within the various faculties.

In its current administrative vision, the university points to the importance of linking scientific research to community needs and turning it into applied projects, an orientation consistent with the nature of the university and the needs of the region.

Research Areas Related to the University

Based on the university's specializations and available publications, research areas such as the following stand out:

Health and medicine

• Medical education.
• Clinical training.
• Public health.
• Medical sciences.

Environment and natural resources

• Environment.
• Natural resources.
• Desertification.
• Sustainable development.

agriculture

• Agricultural production.
• Food security.
• Crop protection.
• Rural development.

Society and development

• Human development.
• Economics.
• Social studies.
• Conflict and peace.

Law and human rights

• Law.
• Sharia.
• Human rights.
• Community reconciliation.

Scientific Publishing

The university has academic publications and journals in the humanities and applied fields, including:

• University of Alfashir Journal of Humanities.
• University of Alfashir Journal of Applied Sciences.

The university's name also appears in scientific research databases through publications associated with its researchers and faculties.

COKI data, built on OpenAlex data, points to 193 publications linked to the university over the period 2003–2025, with about 3,500 citations, and the share of publications available via open access reached 73%. These figures are not a substitute for Scopus or Web of Science, but rather an independent bibliometric indicator.

International Rankings 2026

QS Arab Region University Rankings

The official QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026 database, which includes about 300 Arab institutions, was verified.

The University of Alfashir is not listed with a verifiable numerical result in the verified QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026.

Therefore:

QS Arab 2026: Unranked/no verified numerical result available.

It is also not advisable to use figures published on unofficial websites or aggregating databases as a QS ranking.

Times Higher Education – THE

No reliable numerical result for the University of Alfashir was found in:

THE World University Rankings 2026

Nor was an independent listing for the university verified in the main THE rankings for 2026.

Therefore, the database records:

THE World University Rankings 2026: Unranked/unverified.

SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026

The SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026database was reviewed, and no reliable listing for the University of Alfashir appeared in the table of Sudanese higher education institutions that could be relied upon to assign the university a global ranking.

Accordingly:

SCImago 2026: Not listed in the verified data.

This differs from some general ranking websites that may assign the university a rank using algorithms or sources different from SCImago.

Alternative National Ranking

The University of Alfashir appears in some unofficial/aggregated university ranking systems.

For example, UniRanks 2026 places the University of Alfashir at rank 28 within Sudan, and a global rank of 16,047. However, this ranking is not one of the major global academic rankings such as QS, THE, ARWU, or SCImago, so it should not be merged with them in a single table without methodological clarification.

Methodological Assessment

Academic Status in 2026

The current operational situation is a very important factor when assessing the University of Alfashir.

Due to the Sudanese war, the university, the city of El Fasher, and the surrounding area have been subjected to extremely complex security and humanitarian conditions.

The university officially states that the war inflicted sabotage and destruction on the university, but it continued to deliver its academic programs both in person and online during the war period, according to a statement by the university president published on the official website.

In March 2026, the resumption of in-person study for first-year students was announced at temporary premises within Omdurman Ahlia University in the city of Omdurman, an important indicator that academic activity continued despite the impossibility of normal operations in El Fasher.

Recent reports in 2026 also indicate that the university was operating from temporary premises in Omdurman due to the security situation in North Darfur.

What does this mean for students?

When publishing the university's page in 2026, the El Fasher address should not necessarily be presented as the normal operational headquarters for all educational activities.

and the more accurate wording is:

The university's historical headquarters is in El Fasher, while some academic activities continued during 2026 through temporary arrangements and in-person and online services outside the original headquarters, according to security and operational conditions.

This is a very important point on the university's page on the Top Arab University Rankings platform.

Digital Transformation and Distance Education

Under war conditions, digital transformation has become an essential part of the university's strategy.

The university includes:

• Student Platform.
• E-learning.
• Faculty and Staff Platform.
• Electronic services.
• Deanship of Distance Education.
• Computer and Information Technology Center.

In 2026, the university announced the launch of the Student Platform to ensure the continuity of the educational process.

This makes e-learning not merely an additional service, but one of the instruments of university education continuity in exceptional circumstances.

International Cooperation

The university officially states that it is a member of university associations:

• Sudanese.
• Arab.
• African.

It also has academic and cultural cooperation agreements with national, regional, and international universities and institutions.

Examples of international cooperation in research and academic fields include the participation of university researchers in international studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals during 2026.

Quality and Accreditation

The University of Alfashir comprises a quality assurance center within its current structure.

The current administration also states that the goals for the next phase include:

• Obtaining institutional accreditation.
• Programmatic accreditation for faculties and programs.
• Improving the quality of graduates.
• Developing the academic system.
• Digitization.
• Strengthening distance education.

Accordingly, the university should not currently be described as holding comprehensive international accreditation unless an independent official source confirms this.

Students

According to the official brochure published on the university's website, the number of students in the academic year 2017–2018:

15,221 students

of whom:

• 14,547 bachelor's students.
• 674 graduate students.

Note: These are historical figures, not a current statistic for 2026, and the current official page contains no updated figures that can confidently be used instead.

Language of Study

The language of instruction varies by field.

According to the university's official data:

• Arabic is used primarily in the social sciences.
• English is used in medical programs.
• Both Arabic and English are used in the faculties of applied sciences.

This is an important factor for international students when choosing a program.

Academic Strengths

1. Regional Role

The University of Alfashir is one of the main higher education institutions in North Darfur and plays a role in providing higher education across a vast region.

2. Academic Diversity

It combines:

Medicine + Dentistry + Pharmacy + Veterinary Medicine + Agriculture + Engineering + Computer Science + Law + Sharia + Economics + Education + Arts.

3. The Importance of Its Specializations to the Region

Some of the university's specializations are directly linked to the needs of Darfur, especially:

• Agriculture.
• Veterinary Medicine.
• Health.
• Environment.
• Development.
• Education.
• Law.
• Social sciences.

4. Digital Education

Electronic platforms and distance education have become important tools for the continuation of study during exceptional circumstances.

5. Research Linked to Community Issues

The university's interests include issues of health, environment, development, and human rights — areas of direct importance to the local and regional context.

Strategic challenges

The University of Alfashir faces exceptional challenges that differ from most Arab universities, the most prominent of which are:

1. Ongoing Effects of the War

Security instability has affected the university's infrastructure, location, and mode of study.

2. Infrastructure

The university needs to rehabilitate and develop its academic infrastructure, laboratories, and facilities.

3. International Scientific Research

There is a need to increase visibility in international databases and raise the volume and quality of scientific output.

4. International Cooperation

Cooperation with African, Arab, and international universities can be an important means of rebuilding academic capacity.

5. Digital Transformation

The university can expand e-learning so that it becomes a sustainable system rather than merely a response to emergency conditions.

6. Accreditation and Quality

Obtaining institutional and programmatic accreditation is a declared strategic goal of the current administration.

An Analytical Reading of the University's Standing

The University of Alfashir should not be assessed in 2026 using the global ranking alone.

The university operates in an exceptional educational environment; its very infrastructure has been affected by the war, while the administration has continued to use e-learning and temporary arrangements to maintain the academic process.

From the perspective of University Intelligence, the university's standing can be divided into three levels:

Level One: National and Regional Importance

High for North Darfur; the university is the main higher education institution in the region.

Level Two: Academic Diversity

Relatively high, with medicine, engineering, agriculture, computing, the humanities, law, and administration all present.

Level Three: Global Ranking Presence

Currently limited; no independent ranking for the university has been verified in QS, THE, or SCImago 2026.

This does not necessarily mean the university is academically weak; rather, it means that presence in global rankings remains limited or undocumented within these rankings.

University of Alfashir for Students and Researchers

The university can be of particular interest to students and researchers interested in:

• Medicine and health sciences.
• Dentistry and pharmacy.
• Veterinary Medicine.
• Agriculture and rural development.
• Environment and Natural Resources.
• Computer science.
• Engineering.
• Education.
• Islamic studies and law.
• Economics and development.
• Social sciences and humanities.

As for researchers, their projects may particularly benefit from studying issues of:

Darfur – development – health – environment – agriculture – conflicts – peace – human rights – rural society.

Basic Data Table for the Top Arab University Rankings Platform

* UniRanks is not one of the major global rankings such as QS, THE, and SCImago, so it should not be compared to them directly.

Conclusion

University of El Fasher is a Sudanese public university of strategic importance to North Darfur; its institutional roots began with a project to establish a university for Darfur in 1975, it was then officially opened in El Fasher in 1991, and it later developed into a multidisciplinary university.

It currently comprises a wide range of faculties in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, agriculture, engineering, computer science, health sciences, law, Sharia, economics, education, arts, and the environment.

and the university is distinguished by the fact that some of its specializations are directly linked to the needs of the region, particularly health, agriculture, veterinary medicine, the environment, development, and education.

. As for international rankings, there is currently no verified result for the university in QS Arab 2026, THE World 2026, or SCImago 2026 that can be recorded as an official ranking. This is a point that must be maintained in the Top Arab University Rankings platform database instead of using non-equivalent aggregated rankings.

In 2026, the university must also be read in the context of the exceptional circumstances Sudan is experiencing; the university has been affected by the war, yet it continued the educational process through e-learning and temporary arrangements outside El Fasher, including study at temporary premises in Omdurman.

Assessment on the Top Arab University Rankings Platform

A regional public university of strategic importance to North Darfur, distinguished by broad academic diversity and strong ties to community and development issues, while rebuilding infrastructure and strengthening scientific research, international cooperation, and academic accreditation represent the most important paths for developing its future presence.

References and Sources

1. University of Alfashir – Official Website. University information, faculties, and academic services.
2. University of Alfashir – Overview and history.
3. University of Alfashir – List of faculties and specializations.
4. QS – Arab Region University Rankings 2026.
5. COKI – Open research data for the University of Alfashir.
6. BMC Medical Education / PubMed – Study on the impact of war on medical training in Sudan, 2026.
7. PubMed – Recent study on medical education and training associated with the University of Alfashir, 2026.
8. UniRanks 2026 – Sudanese university ranking data.
9. Report on the resumption of studies at the University of Alfashir at temporary premises in Omdurman, March 2026.