Study grants in the UAE
In the Emirates, scholarships are awarded not by ministries but by the universities themselves — and they do so generously, as the country is building world-class academic departments. The strongest offers are concentrated in technology and research institutions.
How education financing works here
Research-focused universities fully fund master’s and doctoral programs: tuition, housing, health insurance, and a monthly stipend. Large national universities offer partial merit-based scholarships. There is no government scholarship program for international students in the traditional sense — applications are submitted directly to the university.
Study and status
A student visa to the UAE is issued through the university and tied to it. This is not the same status as a residency visa through a company: the rules on work and family sponsorship differ, and these need to be understood before relocating.
What to prepare in advance
An international language certificate and educational documents with consular legalisation — apostille is not used in the UAE, so the chain is longer and takes months. The process must be started in the country where the documents were issued.
Programmes
MBZUAI — full funding for Master’s and PhD programmes
tuition, accommodation, insurance, monthly stipend
Khalifa University — scholarships for international students
from partial tuition coverage to full funding with accommodation
We do not publish exact application dates: they change every year, and this page is meant to last months. The card shows an intake window in plain language and a link to the official page, where the date is always current.
Other countries
Links to official pages have been verified 16 August 2026.