Studying in the UAE: a guide for families

• Being born in the UAE does not make a child Emirati: an expatriate child born and schooled in Dubai applies as an expat and pays expat fees.
• The exam has changed: the EmSAT is no longer required for university admission (since November 2024). Each university sets its own criteria: the school average, the required subjects and an English test. ⁷

Every school certificate except the UAE's own General Secondary Certificate needs a Ministry of Education certificate of equivalency to enrol at a UAE university. That includes the IB, A levels, the American diploma, CBSE and the French bac taken at a private school in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. ^3,8

1. Attest the certificate. From a UAE school: through the Ministry. From abroad: the school or education authority, a notary, the foreign ministry of that country, the UAE embassy, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Start before leaving the country. ⁸
2. Apply for the equivalency online on the Ministry of Education site, at least two months before classes (AUS's rule). ³
3. If it is late: universities let students start under a conditional contract, but the equivalency must be in within the first semester, or the enrolment can be cancelled. ^3,8

For a private school in the UAE, the certificate qualifies when the school is licensed, the certificate opens university in its own country, and the student passed Arabic (for Arab students) and Islamic Education (for Muslim students) in Grades 10 to 12. Check this early in Grade 10. ⁹

Sources: ^{4,5,6 10}

• What to check on a branch campus: that the degree is the home university's own degree (same title as at home), whether a semester or a transfer to the home campus is possible, and the institution's UAE licence (MoHESR, or KHDA in Dubai's free zones). The licence matters for government jobs and for further study in the UAE. ¹⁰
• What to check on a local university: the programme's accreditation (for engineering, an international accreditation is a plus), the English-test rule, and how many credits the degree really takes.

• Living at home is the big saving: the UAE is not cheap to rent in, but most families already have the home. ¹²
• Fees rise most years (AUS's tuition is published each year; branch campuses usually fix the first-year fee for the whole course, as Birmingham Dubai does). ^6,10
• Merit awards are common at private universities (10–100% of tuition) and can be applied for at admission; ask each university.
• Our cost calculator has a UAE profile with the fee status "UAE national" or "expat resident or international", and the cities.

• A child living with expatriate parents can stay on the parents' sponsorship: sons up to age 25, unmarried daughters without an age limit. No student visa is then needed. ¹³
• A student coming from abroad gets a student residence visa through the university (medical test, Emirates ID, UAE health insurance; about AED 3,000–7,000 in all). ¹⁴
• Top students may qualify for the Golden Visa (5 years for high-school achievers, 10 years for top university students). ¹⁵

All dates with sources: UAE country guide §4 and the deadlines tool.

1. Which route? Emirati (national system, free federal places) or expat (direct applications, fees).
2. Equivalency: is the school certificate eligible, and are the Arabic / Islamic Education conditions met? Plan the attestation.
3. Two or three universities of different selectivity: for example Khalifa or NYU Abu Dhabi as an ambitious choice, AUS or a branch campus as a good match, a private university with rolling admission as a safer choice.
4. English test booked in time, or proof of exemption.
5. Budget for the whole degree in AED, and whether the child lives at home.
6. Licence and degree of a branch campus checked.
7. Compare with abroad: the same profile may also fit the UK, Canada or the Netherlands. Our country finder and chances tool include the UAE.