Al-Zaytouna University in Libya | Colleges, Majors, and International Rankings 2026

Al-Zaytouna University in Libya | Colleges, Majors, and International Rankings 2026

About Al-Zaytouna University

Al-Zaytoonah University A Libyan public university headquartered in the city of Tarhuna, and its roots date back to the year 1986, when it was established under Decision No. 46, and it was formerly known as Nasser International University before its name was changed to Al-Zaytoonah University. Its faculties are spread within the geographical scope of the Tarhuna municipality, in addition to Al-Awata and Sidi Al-Sayeh.

The university is today one of the Libyan university institutions with diverse specializations, as it comprises 19 colleges according to its official website, and offers programs at the licence and bachelor's levels, in addition to master's and doctoral programs in some specializations. The university also indicates the presence of 1,145 faculty members و8,496 students in its published data.

Official website: Al-Zaytoonah University – Libya

History of Al-Zaytoonah University

The university was founded in 1986 under Decision No. 46, and it was initially known as Nasser International University, before it was later renamed Al-Zaytoonah University.

Since its founding, the university has gradually evolved from an institution with a limited academic scope into a university comprising a large number of faculties and scientific, humanities, medical, and engineering fields.

According to the timeline published on the official website, the university's journey spans four decades of academic development, reaching its current structure of 19 faculties distributed across Tarhuna, Al-Awata, and Sidi Al-Sayeh.

Faculties of Al-Zaytoonah University

According to the official website, Al-Zaytoonah University currently comprises 19 colleges:

1. Faculty of Science
2. College of Media
3. Faculty of Arts
4. Faculty of Economics and Political Science
5. Faculty of Commerce
6. Faculty of Education – Tarhuna
7. Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences
8. Faculty of Education – Al-Qusay'ah
9. Faculty of Medical Technology
10. Faculty of Agriculture
11. Faculty of Sharia
12. Faculty of Human Medicine
13. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
14. Faculty of Social Sciences – Al-Awata
15. Faculty of Criminal Sciences
16. Faculty of Law
17. Faculty of Languages and Translation
18. Faculty of Engineering
19. Faculty of Information Technology

This diversity makes the university one of the Libyan universities that possess a multidisciplinary academic base bringing together health sciences, engineering and technology, basic sciences, economics, law, and the humanities.

Most Prominent Academic Specializations

Medicine and health sciences

The health sector represents one of the main components of Al-Zaytoonah University through:

• Human medicine.
• Medical technology.
• Veterinary Medicine.

The presence of these faculties enables the university to build an integrated research system in health, medical sciences, veterinary medicine, and public health.

The presence of the Faculty of Science can also support medical research through chemistry, biology, and the basic sciences.

engineering

The university comprises Faculty of Engineering, which is among the fields that can play an important role in linking the university to development and economic needs in Libya.

Among the fields that can be developed for research are:

• Civil engineering.
• Electrical engineering.
• Mechanical engineering.
• Energy.
• Infrastructure.
• Environmental engineering.

From an international rankings perspective, energy, engineering, and the environment could be one of the research-specialization axes in which the university can invest, rather than distributing its research efforts equally across all disciplines.

Information technology and digital transformation

Al-Zaytoonah University comprises Faculty of Information Technology, an increasingly important field in higher education and the labor market.

The university can develop this field to include:

• Artificial intelligence.
• Data science.
• Cybersecurity.
• Information systems.
• Software.
• Digital transformation.

Computing can also be linked to the university's other disciplines, such as:

Artificial intelligence + medicine
Artificial intelligence + agriculture
Data analysis + economics
Computing + engineering and energy

This is a model that can help the university build multidisciplinary research output.

Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

The presence of Faculty of Agriculture alongside Faculty of Veterinary Medicine represents an important opportunity for the university to develop research linked to the agricultural and food sectors.

Possible areas include:

• Agricultural production.
• Animal health.
• Food security.
• Sustainable agriculture.
• Water management.
• Drought resistance.
• Animal production.
• Food safety.

This field could represent a suitable research identity for the university given Libya's needs in food security and agricultural development.

Economics, law, and Sharia

The university comprises a wide range of social and legal faculties, including:

• Economics and political science.
• Commerce.
• Law.
• Sharia.
• Social sciences.
• Forensic Science.

This provides an academic base in economics, management, law, public policy, and the social sciences.

Scientific research in these areas can be directed toward issues directly relevant to Libya, such as:

• Governance.
• The Libyan economy.
• Public Administration.
• Local development.
• Combating corruption.
• Institutional transformation.
• Economic Policies.

Media, languages, and literature

The university's system includes:

• Faculty of Media.
• Faculty of Languages and Translation.
• Faculty of Arts.

These faculties can contribute to developing studies related to digital media, communication, languages, translation, and the humanities.

Moreover, College of Media can be an important part of the university's strategy for developing institutional communication and digital presence, a matter of growing importance in the era of international rankings and academic reputation.

Graduate studies and scientific research

The university states that it awards:

• Licence.
• Bachelor's degree.
• Master's degrees.
• Doctorates in some specializations.

The official website also includes a dedicated scientific research section featuring:

• Research centers.
• Scientific journals.
• Research projects.
• Publications.
• Conferences.

The university also indicates the presence of 5 scientific journals و20 libraries within its research and academic system.

The university also regularly publishes research and scientific articles; recent publications include studies in food science, nutrition, agriculture, and life sciences.

Al-Zaytoonah University in numbers

The figures above are based on data published on the university's official website, so when using them in the final content it should be noted that they are the university's currently published data and not necessarily independently audited statistics for the 2026–2027 academic year.

Al-Zaytoonah University in the QS Arab Region Rankings 2026

the 191–200 band in the Arab region

This is the most prominent point in Al-Zaytoonah University's performance for 2026.

According to the university's official announcement, Al-Zaytoonah University achieved:

Third place among Libyan universities

and ranked within:

The 191–200 band in the Arab region

in QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026.

The Libyan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research confirms the same result, noting that the University of Tripoli ranked first nationally at 136th in the Arab region, followed by the University of Benghazi in the 181–190 band, then Al-Zaytoonah University in the 191–200 band in the Arab region.

According to QS, the 2026 edition covered 296 Arab university institutions from 20 locations/countries in the region.

Libyan universities in QS Arab Region 2026

The university and the Ministry of Higher Education confirm that 11 Libyan universities entered the QS Arab Region Rankings 2026.

What does third place nationally mean?

From a rankings-analysis perspective, Al-Zaytoonah University reaching third place nationally in QS Arab Region 2026 is significant for two reasons:

First: the university is not among the historically largest Libyan universities

yet it managed to enter the the 191–200 band in the Arab regionband, ahead of several Libyan universities with a stronger institutional and historical presence.

Second: the university has a declared rankings strategy

The university states that its plan to enter international rankings began in 2021, with a focus on quality, scientific research, and human-capacity development.

This is very important, because the result shows that managing rankings institutionally over several years can produce a measurable result.

Al-Zaytoonah University and international rankings: a strategic reading

The university's performance in QS 2026 deserves a reading beyond merely recording a rank.

1. Strength: regional ranking presence

The university's presence within the 191–200 band in the Arab region places it among the Arab universities ranked by QS and gives it a starting point for developing its international presence.

2. Strength: a large academic base

The presence of 19 faculties and 1,145 faculty members give the university an academic mass that can be leveraged to raise research output and international cooperation.

3. Opportunity: building areas of research excellence

Instead of trying to raise all indicators at once, the university can choose specific areas such as:

Agriculture and food security
Medicine and health sciences
Energy and engineering
Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence

then build research centers and international partnerships around them.

4. Opportunity: moving to a higher band in QS

If the university wants to move from 191–200 to the higher bands, the focus should be on indicators that can produce a sustainable impact, particularly:

• Academic reputation.
• Employer reputation.
• Research and citations.
• International cooperation.
• Digital presence.
• Internationalization.
• Quality of institutional data.

The ranking should not be treated merely as a public relations project, but as a system for managing academic and research performance.

A strategic advantage for Al-Zaytoonah University

I believe the university has an opportunity to build a distinctive research identity rather than trying to compete with the University of Tripoli or Benghazi in all fields.

The equation could be:

Agriculture + veterinary medicine + environment + water + artificial intelligence + engineering

These fields can be combined into research serving issues facing Libya such as:

• Food security.
• Water scarcity.
• Desert agriculture.
• Climate change.
• Renewable Energy.
• Animal health.
• Food safety.

This type of multidisciplinary research can give the university room for regional research distinction.

Conclusion

Al-Zaytoonah University A Libyan public university founded in 1986, and it was formerly known as Nasser International University. Its seat is located in Tarhuna, with its faculties extending to Al-Awata and Sidi Al-Sayeh. It currently comprises 19 colleges covering medicine, engineering, sciences, information technology, agriculture, veterinary medicine, law, economics, media, languages, and other fields.

Most importantly, in its assessment for 2026 it achieved Third place among Libyan universities and placed itself in the 191–200 band in the Arab region in the QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026.

This result makes Al-Zaytoonah University currently one of the most prominent rising Libyan universities in regional rankings. However, moving to the higher bands will require converting the current ranking presence into a sustainable increase in research quality, citations, international cooperation, academic reputation, internationalization, and digital presence.

Important methodological note: For the Al-Zaytoonah University page on the Top Arab Universitiesplatform, I recommend recording QS Arab Region 2026: 191–200 in the Arab region, third nationally as the confirmed official result, and not adding figures for other rankings unless the edition and direct source of each ranking have been verified.

Sources

• Al-Zaytoonah University – official website
• About Al-Zaytoonah University and its history
• QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026 – Official Results
• QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026 – ranking page
• Al-Zaytoonah University's announcement of its QS 2026 result
• Libyan Ministry of Higher Education – QS 2026 results