The
Jordan University of Science and Technology , often abbreviated
JUST, is a comprehensive,
state-supported university located on the outskirts of
Irbid, at
Ar Ramtha in northern
Jordan. Since its establishment in 1986, JUST has been at the forefront of institutions of
higher learning in the
Arab world, it also maintains a high reputation and standard amongst the universities of the
Middle East. JUST and the
University of Jordan in
Amman are considered to be the two premier institutions of higher education for engineering and medicine in the country, although numerous other faculties and specializations are represented as well. The university was described as the best scientific institution in the Kingdom by
King Abdullah II during a visit in November '10. As of the 2006/2007 academic year, JUST had 717 faculty members, with 20,000 undergraduate and 1559 graduate students, in contrast to 2,300 students in the 1986/1987 academic year. At the present time, the university comprises 12
faculties and 55 departments providing 52
bachelor's degree and 95
postgraduate programs. JUST comprised 5,415 international students of 61 nationalities in the academic year 2009/2010, rendering it the most cultural-diverse university in Jordan. It was ranked as the top
research university in the country, and amongst the top 3% of universities in the
Islamic world, according to a study carried out by the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries (SESRTCIC).