American University in Dubai is a private, American-modeled university founded in 1995 on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Dubai Media City district. It delivers a US-style, credit-based education in English to more than 2,000 students drawn from over 100 countries, across schools spanning Business Administration, Engineering, Architecture Art and Design, the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication, Arts and Sciences, and Education. The university is institutionally accredited in the United States by SACSCOC and licensed in the UAE by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, so its bachelor's and master's degrees are recognized on both sides. AUD carries an unusually deep stack of US programmatic accreditations for a university in the region, including AACSB for business, ABET for its four engineering programmes, and NAAB, CIDA and NASAD recognition across architecture, interior design and the fine arts. It reports strong graduate outcomes, with roughly 92 percent of graduates employed shortly after completing their studies, and QS has named it Dubai's leader on employer reputation and employment outcomes. The campus combines three academic buildings, specialised engineering labs, design and media studios, a large library, on-campus residence halls and a full sports complex.
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
5 years · Undergraduate
Undergraduate tuition at AUD is charged on the American credit-hour system as a flat AED 53,025 per semester for a 12 to 16 credit load, roughly AED 106,050 per year, plus a Services and Technology fee of AED 2,000 per year. Courses below 12 credits are billed at AED 4,599 per credit and overload credits above 16 at AED 3,549. Master's programmes are billed per course at AED 14,490 for a standard 3-credit course (AED 13,797 for the Master of Education). A non-refundable application fee of AED 420 and a reservation deposit (AED 5,000 undergraduate, AED 2,000 graduate, credited to tuition) apply, and AUD-sponsored student residence visas cost AED 8,200 including mandatory annual health insurance. AUD offers generous merit and need-based scholarships, including the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Scholarship (up to full tuition) and Senior and ICT Funds awards. All fees include 5% VAT where applicable and should be confirmed against the current academic-year schedule on aud.edu.
A high-school average of at least 90% (or equivalent) plus demonstrated financial need; open to all nationalities and programmes; renewable to graduation.
Tuition waivers scaled to the Grade 12 average for students from partner schools.
A minimum CGPA of 3.5, within 30 to 32 credits of graduation, with no conduct violations.
UAE nationals (maximum age 24) pursuing Computer or Electrical Engineering with a good academic average.
Lebanese nationals with strong academics pursuing the Arabic-track Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies; portfolio and interview required.
Arab nationals in the Arabic-track B.C.I.S. with a 90%+ average; portfolio, interview and 40 volunteer hours per semester.
25% AUD Alumni Tuition Waiver for AUD graduates entering a master's; 40% Graduate School of Education waiver for current teachers, teaching assistants or school administrators on the M.Ed.
Admission to AUD is based on an official attested high-school transcript covering the last three years in good academic standing, demonstrated English proficiency (a test score or the AUD placement test), mathematics proficiency (SAT or the AUD placement test), and any programme-specific requirement such as a portfolio for Architecture. Graduate admission requires an accredited bachelor's degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA plus English proficiency. Conditional admission is available for applicants who narrowly miss the English or programme thresholds.
Submit the AUD online application through the admissions portal at aud.edu.
Provide attested high-school transcripts and diploma (with Ministry of Education equivalency for non-UAE systems), passport, visa or Emirates ID, photographs and the health history form.
Submit IELTS, TOEFL or EmSAT and SAT scores, or sit AUD's English and mathematics placement tests.
Pay the non-refundable AED 420 application fee.
Admissions reviews your credentials and issues a decision; conditional admission with ENGL100 Developmental English is possible for those below the direct-entry English level.
Pay the reservation deposit (AED 5,000 undergraduate / AED 2,000 graduate, credited to tuition) and complete registration and visa processing.
American University in Dubai sponsors the UAE student residence visa for eligible students. The total cost is AED 8,200, comprising an AED 2,000 visa fee and mandatory health insurance at AED 3,200 per year. Students already sponsored by a UAE-resident parent may study under that sponsorship instead.
American University in Dubai offers an active, residential American-style campus life on Sheikh Zayed Road, with around 60 student clubs, full intercollegiate athletics, on-campus residence halls and a Career Center that supports students from the first year through graduation and beyond.
Four residential, non-smoking buildings (two for men, two for women) house 520 students in the northwest corner of campus, a two to five minute walk from the academic buildings, library, labs and sports facilities. Rooms are double occupancy with a private bathroom and Wi-Fi (single rooms available), and each hall has a laundry room, study area, TV lounge and a fully equipped kitchen and dining room.
The Career Center (Office of Outreach and Career Development) supports students from the first year through graduation with resume and cover-letter help, interview coaching, career planning, internship placement and soft-skills development. AUD reports being ranked #1 in Dubai for Employment Outcomes for four consecutive years (QS), with nearly 92% of graduates employed shortly after graduating.
American University in Dubai occupies a self-contained American-style campus of roughly 1.3 to 1.4 million square feet on Sheikh Zayed Road, in the Dubai Media City and Internet City cluster. It is built around three academic buildings with more than 36 classrooms, specialised engineering labs, architecture and design studios, media production studios, a large library, on-campus residence halls and a full sports complex, minutes from the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai Marina.
A large library with 44,000+ print titles, 200,000+ eBooks and thousands of databases, around 300 seats and 50 computer stations, with 24/7 electronic access.
Electrical, computer, civil and mechanical labs with 100+ workstations, workshops and materials and structures testing equipment.
Physics and biology laboratory facilities in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Architecture and interior-design studios, model and furniture workshops, a fabrication lab, digital studios and printmaking and photography labs.
Soundproof TV studios with three-camera setups, control rooms and Avid and Adobe post-production editing suites at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication.
An interdisciplinary makerspace with 3D printers, laser cutters, VR headsets and project studios.
More than 36 modern classrooms and general and specialised computing labs across the three academic buildings.
A 2,450-seat indoor multi-sport arena for basketball, volleyball, futsal and handball.
An outdoor 25-metre, 5-lane swimming pool.
Three tennis courts, two squash courts, a gymnasium and an aerobics studio, plus an outdoor green field with a running track and soccer pitch.
Four on-campus halls (two men, two women) housing 520 students, with kitchens, laundry, study areas and lounges.
On-campus cafeteria and dining, a grocery shop and retail outlets.
On-campus health and medical services for students.
Career counselling, internships and employer engagement supporting a ~92% graduate employment rate.
President
AUD's fifth president (since August 2024), an authority on American higher education abroad with a PhD in international and comparative education from Columbia University.
Executive Vice President
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Dean, School of Architecture, Art and Design
Dean, School of Engineering
Dean, Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication
Dean, Graduate School of Education
Dean, School of Arts and Sciences
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American University in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Media City, P.O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE
