Muscat – Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) will establish an integrated student residential city and expand key academic and research facilities as part of its long-term development strategy, according to its vice-chancellor.

Speaking at the university’s 2026 annual media briefing on Sunday, H H Sayyid Dr Fahad bin Al Julanda al Said said SQU’s progress reflects continued national support for education, research and innovation.

The university ranked 334th globally and eighth in the Arab world in the 2025 QS rankings. It also recorded progress in 13 of 18 indicators linked to Vision 2040. Labour market satisfaction with SQU graduates reached 85%, according to university data.

Around 70% of undergraduate programmes are now internationally accredited. In 2025, researchers published 1,851 papers in peer-reviewed journals, while private sector entities contributed 20% of the total research funding.

Institutional revenue exceeded RO4.5mn, reflecting diversified income streams. The university reported the launch of seven startups and registration of 14 patents during the year.

Since its establishment, SQU has graduated more than 74,000 students, including over 7,400 postgraduates. For the 2025–2026 academic year, 3,133 students were enrolled, including 80 students with disabilities. Postgraduate enrollment reached 957, including 113 international students.

The university offers 70 undergraduate and 123 postgraduate programmes, including doctoral and master’s degrees in fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, digital business and genetic counselling.

Internationally, SQU maintains 83 active partnerships and signed 51 agreements over the past two years. Student exchange programmes enabled 478 students to study abroad.

Nearly 3,400 scientific papers and 488 conference papers were published in 2024–2025. The university delivered 36 research consultations to government entities and implemented 22 strategic projects supported by more than RO2.1mn in government funding.

Energy consumption fell 14.45%, generating annual savings of about RO611,000. The university employs over 3,000 staff, with Omanisation in administrative and technical roles reaching 97%.

Student residential city

SQU plans to build a student residential city accommodating up to 6,000 students. The first phase will house around 1,000 students and include sports facilities, a mosque and commercial outlets. The project has been offered to investors and is in an advanced stage prior to awarding. Completion of the first phase is expected within three to four years.

The university is also expanding the colleges of arts and economics and developing new facilities, including an emerging technologies unit, a research centres complex, a veterinary clinic and additional infrastructure for the earthquake monitoring centre.