Winner. University of the Year 2023

United Arab Emirates University

Type: Public
Established: 1976
Vice Chancellor: Prof. Ghaleb Ali Alhadrami Albreiki
Academic staff: 985
Students: 15000
Address: P.O. Box 15551, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Website: www.uaeu.ac.ae

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is the first and foremost comprehensive national university in the United Arab Emirates. UAEU aspires to become a comprehensive, research-intensive university and currently enrolls 15,000 Emirati and international students.

As the UAE’s flagship university, UAEU offers a full range of accredited, high-quality graduate and undergraduate programs through nine Colleges: Business and Economics; Education; Engineering; Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine; Humanities and Social Sciences; IT; Law; Medicine and Health Sciences; and Science. With a distinguished international faculty, a state-of-the-art new campus, and a full range of student support services, UAEU offers a living-learning environment that is unmatched in the UAE.

Throughout its history, the University has helped shape the country and wider region through research and the dissemination of knowledge. It strives to preserve national heritage while pursuing innovative solutions and promoting academic excellence.

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE, understood that the future of any nation depends upon the education of its young people. He dreamed of a national flagship university that would provide students with a world-class education and supply the knowledge and skilled workers necessary to support the national economy while helping to solve some of the nation’s most pressing problems through research. In 1976, his dream became a reality when the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was established.

1977: The University opened four faculties. These were the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, known then as the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Science; the Faculty of Education; and the Faculty of Business and Economics, known then as the Faculty of Administrative and Political Science.

1978: The Faculty of Shari'ah and Law was established.

1980: The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering were established.

1981: The first student cohort graduated. This included 192 male and 50 female students, some of whom now hold key leadership positions in the country.

1986: The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences was established to improve medical services in the UAE, to reduce dependence on expatriate physicians, and to begin a research program relevant to the needs of the country. Today, the College of Medicine and Health Sciences is ranked among the top medical schools in the Middle East.

1991: The first Master's Degree Program is established in the Faculty of Science. It is an interdisciplinary program in environmental sciences.

1998: The College of Engineering receives ABET accreditation and the University established the Continuing Education Center as another means of serving the community.

1999: The College of Business and Economics receives AACSB accreditation.

2000: The University established the Faculty of Information Technology and the Research Affairs Unit to manage and promote scientific research.

2003: English becomes the language of instruction.

2006: UAEU is placed among the top 10 research universities in the Islamic world by the SESRTCIC, OIC Research Center, and ‘Smart Classrooms’ are introduced.

2007: The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences received the Hamdan Award for Best Medical College in the Arab World.

2008: UAEU is chosen by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) as the second overseas venue for examinations in the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

2009: The first Ph.D. program is established.

2010: The University moves to a new state-of-the-art campus situated in Al Ain. The 80-hectare campus is a showcase of modern architecture, high-tech laboratories, specialized research centers, cutting-edge IT infrastructure, and twenty-first-century classroom technology.

2011: UAEU ranks 338 in the QS World University Rankings. The College of IT receives ABET Accreditation.

2012: Mobile learning was introduced, and UAEU ranks in the top 50 world universities founded within the past 50 years (QS World University Rankings).

2013: University College is established. It includes three programs: the University Foundation Program, the Student Academic Success Program, and the General Education Program. This assists students with transitioning from high school to university, enhances student engagement, integrates academic and co-curricular programs, connects students with resources, and fosters both independent and lifelong learning.

2014: UAEU received institutional accreditation from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

2016: UAEU receives international institutional accreditation from the WASC (Senior College and University Commission WSCUC).

2017: The “Roadmap to the University of the Future” was launched.

2021: The College of Education became the host for the Fatima Bin Mubarak Research Center for Motherhood and Childhood under a subvention of AED 39 million. The ‘Sustainable Development Goals Research Program’ was launched.

2022: THE ranked the UAEU twelfth globally and first nationally for its performance against SDG 4: Quality of education.

In its drive to achieve international research stature, UAEU works with its industry partners to provide research solutions to challenges faced by the nation, the region, and the world. The University has established research centers of strategic importance to the country and the region, advancing knowledge in critical areas ranging from water resources to cancer treatments. UAEU is currently ranked #6 in the Arab World and #290 worldwide.

UAEU’s academic programs have been developed in partnership with employers, so its graduates are in high demand. UAEU alumni hold key industry, commerce, and government positions throughout the region. The University's continuing investments in facilities, services, and staff ensure that UAEU will continue to serve as a model of innovation and excellence.

The UAEU Strategic Plan established goal #1 - "Prepare students to be distinguished in their areas of specialization, leaders, and productive members of society”. The success of the UAEU students and graduates and their own estimation of the UAEU is at the heart of what the University does within the academic program, through learning support services, and through the student life infrastructure.

UAEU strives to maximize the success of its students and continuously monitors their success through various indicators, such as enrolment, graduation and retention, attainment of learning outcomes, and students’ research experience, which are monitored by the University and shared with all stakeholders. These reports are central to the University’s internal processes for assessing students’ achievements and the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Learning outcomes at UAEU are defined at the course, program, and institutional levels. The three progressive levels of learning outcomes are aligned with each other and with the program objectives, the UAEU mission and goals, and the requirements of the national and international accreditation agencies. The outcome attainment level is defined as the percentage of students who scored 70% or higher (80% or higher in the case of graduate programs) in the collected assessment data. The outcome is attained if the calculated attainment level is equal to or greater than a predefined attainment target. The minimum attainment target is currently set to 70% across the entire University.

As the UAE’s flagship university, UAEU currently enrolls large numbers of national and international students in a full range of accredited high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs.

In its drive to become an international research-intensive university, UAEU is keen on engaging its undergraduate students in a variety of research experiences. Many students are involved in Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) projects, and all students are involved in Undergraduate programs that include research experience.

UAEU focuses on the future readiness of its graduates and places students at the heart of its mission and operations. The university welcomes talented national and international students and prepares them for lifelong career advancement.

Graduates have the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and spirit of entrepreneurship required for leadership roles. The active research programs of their distinguished scholars ensure undergraduate and postgraduate curricula address the latest developments in their fields. A flourishing campus environment enables students to have holistic personal growth.

In 2021-2022, the Careers Center launched a career readiness program ‘Jahez’ to bridge the transition from graduation to employment. The program deepens students’ personal awareness, develops employability skills, and enhances the quality of job applications. The Jahez team developed and updated 36 different career readiness educational resources for 19 topics on different career soft skills. 102 workshops were offered to 11,287 students from all Colleges, with a 96% student satisfaction rate. The Jahez program involved government and private partners including Emirates Global Aluminum, STRATA, the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Education, Emirates Schools Establishment, Shaikh Khalifa Hospital, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, the Al Ain Centre for Care & Rehabilitation, and the Al Ain Autism Centre. In addition, the ‘Khibra’ program brought the Careers Center together with UAEU Alumni.