Purpose: Nowadays, universities increasingly consider reputation as a key component for improving quality and rankings. A positive reputation opens doors to added value and diverse opportunities. This paper aims to explore Middle Eastern higher education managers' perceptions of university reputation components. Design/methodology/approach: Given the significance of this concept in Middle Eastern universities, a descriptive phenomenological qualitative approach is adopted to identify these key components. The study includes interviews with university managers, and data are collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically. Findings: The findings reveal that, from the perspective of higher education managers, university reputation is influenced by four main components--university management and leadership, quality and performance, identity and image and social responsibility. These components are tailored to the context of Middle Eastern countries. Practical implications: Practical implications are clearly laid out in the form of four key themes for higher education managers in Middle Eastern countries to manage reputation. Originality/value: The study's outcomes can be used as a guide for university managers in developing countries to change the situation in their favor and achieve great success in the competitive condition of universities by planning and making policies in this direction. Also, the managers of higher education in the Middle Eastern countries can take advantage of the components of this study to improve the quality and quantity of their universities and take an important step towards increasing the university's reputation at the international level.