UAE cuts UK from scholarship funding over radicalisation fears

In June, the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research published a list of universities and other academic institutions that were eligible for scholarships for UAE students to study at, which excluded all UK institutions.

The UAE provides generous scholarships to students applying to study at institutions named on the list. The grants cover tuition fees, living expenses, and travel and health insurance.

The criteria for a university to be placed on the list is to be in the top 200 universities in countries outside of the US or Australia. Many UK universities fulfil this requirement with ease.

According to the Financial Times, the exclusion of UK universities “was not an oversight” and instead stemmed from fears of “[radicalisation] on campus”.

The removal of the UK from scholarship funding came as yet another jab from the UAE at the Muslim Brotherhood, a politically extreme Islamist organisation that has long been considered a threat by the UAE. Political Islam has represented an opponent of the UAE since 2011.

UAE students are still able to apply and study at UK universities, though this is now likely to be more limited to students from wealthy backgrounds

The Muslim Brotherhood has been designated as a terrorist organisation in the UAE since 2014.

The Brotherhood is not banned in the UK, with a government review into the organisation in 2015 stopping short of an outright ban. The review concluded that “aspects of Muslim Brotherhood ideology and tactics, in this country and overseas, are contrary to our values and have been contrary to our national interests and our national security”.

According to Times Higher Education, the number of UAE students studying on UK campuses has doubled between 2017 and 2024, to a total of 8,500. This is expected to drop significantly as funding is cut.

UAE students are still able to apply and study at UK universities, though this is now likely to be more limited to students from wealthy backgrounds who are able to procure the funds themselves.