UAE's best universities: United Arab Emirates University


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

As thousands of final-year students in the UAE submit their applications to local universities, we take a look at some of the best higher education options in the Emirates and what they have to offer

Where does it originate?

Al Ain, the UAE's Garden City

When was it founded?

1976

What is it?

United Arab Emirates University or UAEU is the first national university and one of the highest-ranked and largest higher education institutions in the country. It offers courses at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in a wide array of subjects. It is frequently ranked among the top in the UAE and Gulf.

Where is it based?

Al Ain

How did it handle Covid-19?

Prof Hassan Selim, professor of analytics in the digital era and director of the UAEU Centre of Excellence for Teaching & Learning, says the university had been working on virtual classrooms for years preceding the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The online learning management system adopted by the UAEU was shifted to the cloud, as the university has strived to adopt virtual classrooms for years, before the pandemic.

"Rather than having a few faculty members shifting online, all UAEU faculty were able to, thanks to the cloud’s massive capacity. The UAEU team’s experience with the switch from traditional face-to-face to remote teaching and learning was smooth and successful. At the start of this academic year, the university looked to gradually shift back to face-to-face learning.

"It was suggested to adopt HyFlex teaching and learning modality, which combines hybrid and flexibility and allows remote learners to attend face-to-face sessions while at home. Overall, the pandemic has had a positive influence on the university, as it began inviting international speakers to conduct webinars to its faculty, which widened their experience and their knowledge.

"Today, the university is working to provide the very first micro master’s online, which are not widespread in the region due to scepticism and hesitation in recognising online degrees."

What are the fees?

Dh228,000 – bachelor’s degree in the humanities and social sciences (120 credit hours at Dh1,900 per credit hour. This is the fee for international students)

Dh250,000 – bachelor’s degree in food and agriculture (120 credit hours at Dh2,500 per credit hour. This is the fee for international students)

Dh99,000 – master of professional accounting (36 credit hours at Dh2,750 per credit hour)

Dh86,400 – master of business administration (48 credit hours at Dh1,800 per credit hour. This is the fee for Al Ain students. Costs can vary by campus)

Dh129,600 – doctor of philosophy (54 credit hours at Dh2,400 per credit hour)

What subject areas does it teach?

Bachelor’s degrees include: accounting, agricultural resource management, Arabic language and literature, biochemistry, biology, business administration, chemistry, computer science, dietetics, economics, education (various sub-disciplines), engineering (various sub-disciplines), finance and economics, food science, geography, geosciences, horticulture, information security, information technology, law, linguistics, marine fisheries and animal science, mass communication, nutritional science, physics, political science, psychology, social work, speech language pathology, statistics and data analytics, tourism studies and veterinary medicine. (Only majors are listed, and the university offers minors in many additional subjects).

Master’s degrees include: business administration, chemistry, clinical psychology, education, educational innovation, engineering (various sub-disciplines), engineering management, environmental sciences, food science, governance and public policy, horticulture, human nutrition, information security, information technology management, mathematics, medical sciences, molecular biology and biotechnology, physics, private law, professional accounting, public health, public law, remote sensing and geographic information systems, social work, software engineering, space science and water resources.

Doctoral degrees include: biomedical sciences, business administration, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, ecology and environmental sciences, engineering (various sub-disciplines), food science and technology, geosciences, horticultural sciences, informatics and computing, language and literacy education, law, leadership and policy studies in education, mathematics, mathematics education, medicine, nutritional sciences, pharmacy, physics, public health, science education and special education.

What doesn’t it teach as majors?

Anthropology, archaeology, criminology, dentistry, geology, history, journalism, marketing, modern languages, music, philosophy, politics, sociology and sports science. (some of these subjects are taught as minors)

Where is it ranked globally?

284th – QS World University Rankings

351st - 400th – Times Higher Education World University Rankings

Who goes there?

There are 14,385 students (13,007 undergraduate, 1,378 postgraduate). The best-represented country is the UAE, followed by Oman, Yemen and Jordan.

Who has gone there?

- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, who graduated in political science.

- Amjad Abu Alala, a UAE-born and raised Sudanese film and television producer and director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from UAEU.

- Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, who was the President of the Federal National Council from 2015 to 2019. She took a bachelor’s degree in architecture at UAEU and later returned to the university as an assistant professor.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, attended UAEU. Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, attended UAEU. Ministry of Presidential Affairs

A word from Prof Ghaleb Alhadrami, vice chancellor:

"UAEU is the nation’s first and the leading comprehensive national university with more than 71,000 alumni and is continuously focused on the future-readiness of our graduates.

"We are an innovative, socially conscious university that places the student at the heart of what we do.

"Our mission is to ensure that each graduate has the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and spirit of entrepreneurship they need to take-up their roles as leaders of social, economic, and cultural advancement, nationally and globally.

"Our faculty are distinguished scholars and academic leaders in the comprehensive range of disciplines offered by our nine academic colleges and 10 specialist centres of advanced research.

"Their active research programmes ensure undergraduate and postgraduate curriculums address the latest developments in their fields and involve doctoral students in cutting-edge techniques and international research collaborations. All students enjoy our rich campus experience, a safe living-learning residential environment, and continuously updated educational resources and technologies.

"We welcome talented students from within the UAE and around the world to join our academic community, to prepare for and advance their careers.

"Your future is our vision."

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Tales of Yusuf Tadros

Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)

Hoopoe

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
​​​​​​​Scribe

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%3A%20Zywa%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202021%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Nuha%20Hashem%20and%20Alok%20Kumar%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20UAE%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%243m%3Cbr%3ECompany%20valuation%3A%20%2430m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIGHT CARD

Bantamweight Hamza Bougamza (MAR) v Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Catchweight 67kg Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) v Fouad Mesdari (ALG)

Lighweight Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) v Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)

Catchweight 73kg Mostafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) v Yazid Chouchane (ALG)

Middleweight Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) v Badreddine Diani (MAR)

Catchweight 78kg Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Adnan Bushashy (ALG)

Middleweight Sallaheddine Dekhissi (MAR) v Abdel Emam (EGY)

Catchweight 65kg Rachid Hazoume (MAR) v Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG)

Lighweight Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)

Catchweight 79kg Omar Hussein (PAL) v Souhil Tahiri (ALG)

Middleweight Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Laid Zerhouni (ALG)

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

How to become a Boglehead

Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.

•   Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.

•   Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.

•   Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.

•   Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.

•   Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.

•   Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.

•   Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.

•   Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.

MATCH INFO

Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)

Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

SERIES INFO

Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16

UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed

Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura

Results

6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash

7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Match info

Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')

Southampton 0

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

List of officials:

Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

While you're here

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Updated: April 18, 2022, 8:40 AM`