In the academic year 2017/2018 ASU took further steps to distinguish itself from the competition, on a path of success and excellence, with the inauguration of four   international programmes from well-respected universities from the United Kingdom; the achievement of the ISO Certification for Quality Management; the hosting of an International Conference on Sustainable Futures featuring 65 research papers from academics in 20 countries; the publication of over 100 research papers by academic staff; and the achievement of a record number of fellowships and senior fellowships from the Higher Education Academy (UK).

Applied Science University was granted its license by the Ministry of Education according to the decree issued by the Minister’s Council (No. WD 140/2004) dated 5th July 2004, making it one of the first private universities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. ASU also appears at #45 in the QS Arab Region University Rankings released on 31^st October 2018, making ASU the only private university in the Kingdom of Bahrain to be ranked in the Top 50. This is the first time ASU has applied to be ranked by QS, making its achievement even more notable. Achieving this ranking is a reflection of ASU’s quality, as evaluated by factors including employer and academic reputation, citations per faculty, and international faculty ratio.