American University in Dubai
About American University in Dubai
American University in Dubai is a private, American-modeled university founded in 1995 on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Dubai Media City district, the first American-accredited university in the GCC and Dubai's first private higher education institution. It delivers a US-style, credit-based education in English to 2,395 students from over 100 nationalities, with 168 faculty and a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, across six schools: Business, Engineering, Architecture Art and Design, the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication, Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School of 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, NAAB for architecture, CIDA for interior design and ACEJMC for communication, with NASAD Substantial Equivalency for its fine arts degrees. It publishes a dated job-placement survey showing an employability rate of 92.43% for the 2023-2024 graduating year, measured as the share of surveyed graduates employed within 12 months, and reports being ranked by QS #1 in the UAE and #1 in Dubai for Employment Outcomes for four consecutive years, and #1 in Dubai for Employer Reputation for two. The campus combines teaching buildings, specialised engineering labs, design and media studios, a large library, four residence halls and a full sports complex.
Programmes Offered
23 ProgrammesBachelor of Business Administration
BBA4 years · Undergraduate
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
BS4 years · Undergraduate
Bachelor of Architecture
BArch5 years · Undergraduate
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design
BFA4 years · Undergraduate
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication
BFA4 years · Undergraduate
Bachelor of Communication and Information Studies
BCIS4 years · Undergraduate
All 23 programmes by subject
Business & Finance
Engineering
Interior Design
Visual Communication
Media & Communication
International Studies
Psychology
Natural Sciences
Computer Science
Tuition & scholarships
Undergraduate tuition is charged on the American credit-hour system as a flat AED 53,025 per semester for a 12 to 16 credit load, AED 106,050 for the Fall and Spring year, plus a Services and Technology fee of AED 1,000 per semester (AED 108,050 all in). Loads below 12 credits are billed at AED 4,599 per credit and overload above 16 credits at AED 3,549. Master's programmes are billed per course of 3 credits, not per year: AED 14,490 a course for every master's except the Master of Education at AED 13,797, giving a whole-award total of AED 173,880 for the 12-course M.B.A., AED 165,564 for the 12-course M.Ed. and AED 144,900 for the ten-course master's. A non-refundable application fee of AED 420 and a reservation deposit of AED 5,000 (credited to tuition) apply, and AUD-sponsored student residence visas cost AED 8,200 including mandatory annual health insurance. AUD reports that 45% of its students receive a discount or scholarship of between 5% and 100%. All fees include 5% VAT where applicable.
Scholarships & discounts
A high-school average of at least 90% (or equivalent) plus demonstrated financial need; open to all nationalities and all undergraduate programmes. Granted for the first academic year and maintained to graduation while eligibility holds.
Students graduating from an AUD partner school; the waiver is scaled to the final Grade 12 average.
Senior status (all but 30-32 credit hours completed), a minimum CGPA of 3.5 and no Conduct Code violations. Requires a request letter, two faculty references, a transcript and a statement of need. Books, fees and housing are not covered.
UAE nationals only, aged 24 or under, applying to Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering, with a good secondary-certificate average, a passed medical and no relevant conviction. Recipients commit to an ICT position in the UAE on graduation.
Two scholarships offered. Lebanese nationals with an excellent high-school average entering the Arabic track of the B.C.I.S.; a portfolio and a qualifying interview with the MBRSC Admissions Committee are required.
Arab nationals entering the Arabic track of the B.C.I.S. in Digital Production and Storytelling or Journalism, with a high-school average of at least 90%; portfolio and interview required. Recipients volunteer 40 hours per semester on MBRSC activities.
Admissions & entry requirements
Admission to AUD is based on an official attested high-school transcript covering the last three years in good academic standing, demonstrated English proficiency (IELTS Academic 6.5, TOEFL iBT 79 or TOEFL ITP 550, or the AUD placement test), mathematics proficiency (SAT Mathematics 590 for Engineering and Biology or 560 otherwise, 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 3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale plus English proficiency, and the M.B.A. requires a GMAT score or an interview while the M.S. in Construction Management and the M.S. in Artificial Intelligence require a GRE quantitative score of at least 148. Conditional admission via ENGL 100 Developmental English is available to undergraduate applicants who narrowly miss the English threshold.
Apply Online
Submit the AUD online application through the admissions portal at aud.edu.
Submit Your Documents
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.
Demonstrate English & Math Proficiency
Submit IELTS, TOEFL iBT or TOEFL ITP scores and an SAT Mathematics score, or sit AUD's English and mathematics placement tests. Graduate applicants may also submit EmSAT English 1550.
Pay the Application Fee
Pay the non-refundable AED 420 application fee.
Receive Your Admission Decision
Admissions reviews your credentials and issues a decision; conditional admission with ENGL100 Developmental English is possible for those below the direct-entry English level.
Confirm Your Place
Pay the reservation deposit (AED 5,000 undergraduate / AED 2,000 graduate, credited to tuition) and complete registration and visa processing.
Entry requirements by level
Intakes & deadlines
The main intake. Classes begin in September; the semester runs September to December.
Second intake. The semester runs January to April.
Two optional summer sessions, on open admissions.
Fall Early Applications: AUD publishes recurring application windows rather than fixed dates. Early Fall applicants are given preference for early class registration.
Fall Late Applications: The late window for the September (Fall) intake.
Spring Early Applications: Early Spring applicants are given preference for early class registration.
Spring Late Applications: The late window for the January (Spring) intake.
Summer I & Summer II: AUD operates open admissions for both summer sessions; no application window is published.
Required documents
10 totalAmerican 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.
Life at the campus
American University in Dubai offers an active, residential American-style campus life on Sheikh Zayed Road, with 49 student clubs listed for Fall 2025, six leadership programmes, full intercollegiate athletics, four on-campus residence halls and a Career Center that supports students from the first year through graduation and beyond.
Accommodation
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.
Career services
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 publishes a dated job-placement survey: of the 185 respondents employed or seeking employment from the 2023-2024 graduating year, 171 were employed, an employability rate of 92.43% within 12 months of graduation. AUD reports being ranked by QS #1 in the UAE and #1 in Dubai for Employment Outcomes for four consecutive years, and #1 in Dubai for Employer Reputation for two.
Clubs & societies
Facilities & campus
American University in Dubai occupies a single self-contained American-style campus on Sheikh Zayed Road at the First Interchange, in the Dubai Media City and Internet City cluster. Alongside its teaching buildings it has specialised engineering laboratories, architecture and design studios, media production studios, a library of over 44,000 print titles with almost 300 seating spaces, four on-campus residence halls housing 520 students, and a sports complex with a 2,500-seat indoor stadium, an 82 ft outdoor pool and a green field with a 1,300 ft track.
Library
A library of over 44,000 print titles with access to over 200,000 eBooks, subscriptions to over 200 print and online journals, almost 300 seating spaces and 50 computer lab spaces, and 24/7 electronic access on and off campus.
Engineering Laboratories
Electrical, computer, civil and mechanical engineering laboratories with workshops and materials and structures testing equipment, including a geotechnical laboratory occupying more than 200 square metres and a Virtual Reality Lab with VR headsets, motion tracking and high-performance computing stations.
Science Laboratories
Physics and biology laboratory facilities in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Design Studios & Workshops
Architecture and interior-design studios, a model and furniture making workshop, a Digital Fabrication Lab with a small and a large laser cutter and six 3D printers, four PC digital studios, five new media suites, a printing centre and design centre, and film photography and printmaking labs - 21 learning spaces in total across the School of Architecture, Art and Design.
Media Production Studios
A fully equipped, soundproof TV studio and control room with three cameras, lighting, vision and audio mixers, a lighting console and a multi-viewer screen; full camera kits with HD cameras, lighting and sound equipment; and a 36-station Mac computer lab with individual editing suites running Avid and Adobe Premiere, at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication.
Center for Research, Innovation and Design (CRID)
An interdisciplinary makerspace with 3D printers, laser cutters, VR headsets and project studios.
Computer Labs & Classrooms
Eight computer labs with both IBM and Macintosh hardware supporting instruction in information systems and business administration, two language laboratories, and general and specialised computing labs across the campus.
Indoor Sports Arena
A 2,500-seat indoor stadium for basketball, volleyball, futsal and handball, convertible between court configurations.
Campus leadership
Dr. Kyle Long
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.
Elias Bou Saab
Executive Vice President
Assaad Farah
Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Nabyl Chenaf
Dean, School of Architecture, Art and Design
Student & alumni reviews
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Questions & answers
Getting to campus
American University in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai Media City, P.O. Box 28282, Dubai, UAE
