Overview
- The UAE’s higher education ministry’s June 2025 list of scholarship‑eligible, recognised institutions excluded the UK but included the US, Australia, France and Israel.
- The government has signalled it will not recognise degrees from institutions outside the approved list, diminishing the value of UK qualifications for Emirati graduates.
- The policy is not a blanket enrollment ban, with some students already in Britain still funded and wealthier families able to self‑finance; UK officials say a few UAE military scholarships continue.
- UK officials stressed academic freedom as official data showed 70 university students were flagged for potential Prevent referrals for Islamist radicalisation in 2023–24, nearly double the prior year.
- Student flows have fallen sharply, with 213 UK study visas issued to Emiratis in the year to September 2025, down 27% year on year and 55% from 2022, even as British universities expand campuses in Dubai.