United Arab Emirates University, established in 1976 by the nation's founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is the oldest and highest-ranked national university in the United Arab Emirates. Located in the oasis city of Al Ain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, UAEU is a federal, publicly funded research university that teaches across nine colleges: Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Information Technology, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Science. Around 17,700 students from the UAE and more than 80 other countries study on a modern, technology-rich campus that opened in 2010, taught by a faculty of some 645 academics who hold doctorates from accredited institutions worldwide. Instruction is primarily in English, on an American-style credit-hour system, with Arabic used for programmes such as law and Arabic studies. UAEU holds institutional accreditation from the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation and international WASC accreditation, and several of its schools carry global programmatic accreditation, including ABET for engineering and AACSB for business. The university reached 217th in the QS World University Rankings 2027 and ranks first nationally across a range of subjects, positioning it as the UAE's leading national research institution as it marks its 50th year.
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
4 years · Undergraduate
UAEU is a federal university, so Emirati students are typically sponsored by the UAE government and pay little or no tuition. Self-funded and international students pay per credit hour: the undergraduate international rate is AED 2,661 per credit hour for 2026/2027, which works out to roughly AED 80,000 to 88,000 per year depending on the programme, with engineering and law degrees carrying more credit hours. Taught master's programmes range from about AED 1,600 to 3,660 per credit hour, and a graduate application fee of AED 200 applies. Generous merit scholarships, including full and partial Chancellor's Scholarships, can waive 50 to 100 percent of tuition for high-achieving students. Rates are set annually by the Student Account Office and exclude VAT.
A Grade 12 average of 98% or above with TOEFL iBT 105 / IELTS 7.5 and SAT-Math 730 (most colleges); maintain a CGPA of 3.8.
A Grade 12 average of 95% or above with TOEFL iBT 85 / IELTS 6.5 and SAT-Math 660; maintain a CGPA of 3.6.
Evidence of exceptional talent (certificates and awards); maintain a CGPA of 3.6.
Evidence of talent; maintain a CGPA of 2.75.
Confirmation of parent employment at UAEU.
Merit-based graduate assistantships, fellowships and PhD scholarships awarded through the College of Graduate Studies.
Admission to UAEU is competitive and merit-based, weighted on the General Secondary School Certificate (Grade 12) percentage plus subject-specific and English-proficiency thresholds. Emirati school-leavers typically qualify through their EmSAT scores; international applicants qualify through equivalent tests such as IELTS or TOEFL and SAT, AP, IB or A-Level results. Undergraduate applications for UAE nationals route through the Ministry of Higher Education portal, while UAEU also runs its own graduate application portal.
Confirm your Grade 12 completion, minimum grade and the college-specific subject and English requirements.
Sit the EmSAT (or IELTS/TOEFL, and SAT or ACT where required for mathematics and science majors).
Apply online (the Ministry portal for undergraduates, apply.uaeu.ac.ae for graduate study), pay the application fee and upload your documents.
Provide attested certificates and the UAE Ministry of Education equivalency certificate for non-UAE curricula.
Complete any extra steps required by your college, such as the Medicine entrance exam and interviews or a portfolio.
Receive the admission decision, complete registration and, for international students, begin university-sponsored residence-visa processing.
United Arab Emirates University sponsors the UAE student residence visa for admitted international students. The visa is issued after arrival for one year and is renewable on proof of continued study. Admitted full-time international students provide financial proof, the Ministry of Education equivalency certificate and a medical fitness declaration; students who are dependents on a UAE-resident parent's visa may study under that sponsorship instead.
UAEU offers a full residential campus experience in Al Ain, with more than 40 student clubs, extensive sports and structured career and wellbeing support. Facilities, housing and many activities are gender-segregated, and a dedicated Center for Career Placement and Alumni connects students to internships and employers across government and industry.
University housing is provided for registered undergraduate students living outside Al Ain, in separate male and female residences (including the Tawam female housing and Seeh Bin Ammar male housing). Rooms are typically shared, and buildings include kitchens, TV lounges, mosques, gyms, games rooms, laundry and internet, with free air-conditioned shuttle buses to campus.
The Center for Career Placement and Alumni (CCPA) supports students with individual and group career counselling, workshops and assessments, on-campus interviews, career and employer days, and internships and work-integrated learning through the iWIL system, with programmes developed in partnership with employers.
United Arab Emirates University occupies a modern, unified campus in Al Ain that opened in 2010, with cutting-edge teaching and research laboratories, specialised research centers across its nine colleges, a large central library and the National Medical Library, on-campus student housing and Olympic-standard sports facilities. The campus is designed with gender-segregated sections and serves around 17,700 students taught by some 645 faculty.
The central university library in the Crescent Building, providing circulation, reference, information-literacy and course-reserve services plus extensive electronic resources.
The first medical library in the UAE, at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, serving medical students, faculty and health professionals.
Specialised research centers across the nine colleges supporting UAEU's research-university mission in water, energy, health, materials and more.
High-tech teaching and research laboratories across the Colleges of Science, Engineering and IT on the 2010 campus.
Male and female computer laboratories with campus-wide wireless internet.
Medical education, clinical-skills and simulation facilities at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Two health clubs, one for men and one for women, each with a 50-metre Olympic indoor swimming pool.
Football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, squash and badminton facilities, plus boxing, kickboxing and chess.
Gender-segregated male and female on-campus housing (including the Tawam and Seeh Bin Ammar residences) with kitchens, lounges, gyms, games rooms, mosques, laundry and internet.
An on-campus clinic providing healthcare for students.
Campus dining and retail outlets for students and staff.
Prayer facilities on campus and within the residence buildings.
Career counselling, internships (iWIL), employer and career days and alumni services.
Chancellor
Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University and Adviser for Cultural Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs, serving as the university's titular head.
Vice-Chancellor
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Provost)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Finance and Administration (Secretary General)
Dean, College of Business and Economics
Acting Dean, College of Education
Dean, College of Engineering
Acting Dean, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Acting Dean, College of Information Technology
Dean, College of Law
Acting Dean, College of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dean, College of Science
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United Arab Emirates University, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, Asharej, Al Ain, P.O. Box 15551, Abu Dhabi, UAE
