Just last month, the UAE’s Education, Human Development and Community Development Council mandated that Emiratis pursuing higher education abroad must enrol in institutions recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in line with “newly approved classifications and standards”.
The new rules require Emirati students to enrol in universities, approved by the Ministry, ranked among the top 50 globally in their chosen field of study, regardless of overall ranking or host country.
Alternatively, if students choose to study in the US or Australia, their institution must be ranked within the top 100 both overall as well as in the chosen field.
For other English-speaking countries, the university must be ranked within the top 200 in both categories, while institutions in non-English speaking countries must fall within the top 300 globally in both overall and subject specific rankings.
While the UAE government sees the move as a way to boost students’ job readiness and align scholarships with national priorities, some argue it overlooks key ground realities.
According to Stephen Hanchey, a monitoring and evaluation specialist at EL Specialists LLC, and a former English language specialist, while some private schools in the UAE follow international curricula, students from the country may face challenges when sitting for standardised admission tests required by top global institutions, which would be prioritised in UAE government’s new criteria.
“Standardised admissions pathways – particularly those relying heavily on SAT, ACT, or TOEFL/IELTS scores – tend to disadvantage students who come from educational systems that differ significantly from the US model in language of instruction, pedagogical style, and test preparation infrastructure,” he said.
“Furthermore, UAE students often encounter structural barriers such as limited access to high-quality test prep, inconsistent exposure to academic English, and minimal guidance on the holistic admissions process used by selective US institutions.”
For admissions to top US universities, in addition to a strong personal essay and a diverse range of extracurricular activities, intensive English-language training must also be a priority for the UAE government, according to Hanchey.
While studies show that school students in the UAE generally outperform their peers in English proficiency compared to other Arab countries, their average scores in global assessments have remained low.
“Recent data and anecdotal evidence suggest that even high-performing Emirati students struggle with reading comprehension, analytical writing, and the kind of classroom participation expected in US universities,” he added.
“A government-funded foundation year or pre-academic program, modeled after successful examples in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, or even NYU Abu Dhabi’s own access initiatives, would bridge this gap while signaling national commitment to meaningful global engagement.”
Although an institution like California State University, Fresno has been ranked among the top 200 US institutions by US News and World Report and Forbes, its inability to break into the top 100 globally, both overall and in specific fields, means it would fall short of the UAE’s new eligibility criteria, limiting its ability to attract top Emirati students.
“I understand the Ministry’s rationale, but I can’t help but question the restriction of opportunities for students,” said Eddie West, assistant vice-president, international affairs, California State University Fresno.
“We used to host far more students from the Middle East than we do today, particularly from Saudi Arabia and Oman. But one of our top agent partners is a multinational operation and they’ve repeatedly stressed that they believe the UAE and the broader Middle East represents an undertapped part of the world.”
With the UAE now becoming one of the few countries to implement university ranking-based criteria for outbound students, concerns have emerged around the risks of relying on a system some critics consider “flawed”.
While global systems such as the QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Rankings), and US News Rankings have gained widespread visibility and influence, many academics argue that these rankings sometimes lack transparency.
“Ranking agencies make money in various ways: by harvesting data from universities which they subsequently commodify; selling advertising space; selling consultancy services (to universities as well as governments); and running fee-paying conferences,” read an article by The Conversation, last year.
“Each ranker and each ranking has a different approach. They all ultimately generate an index or score from the data they collect. But it is not clear how they come up with their scores. They are not completely transparent about what they measure and how much each component of the measure counts,” it continued.
According to West, rather than relying on “commercial rankings”, greater emphasis should be placed on indicators such as social mobility, an area in which Fresno State consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the US.
“The very idea that there is a number 1 university in the world is pretty ludicrous. And even if we acknowledge that certain measures of quality are legitimate, the ‘top 50’ universities for any one individual student will necessarily vary, since students are unique people with unique talents, personalities, values and aspirations,” stated West.
“Rankings that prioritise social mobility are also important to consider… You would think most any government or ministry of education would want assurance that the investment of time and money their citizens make in an overseas education will pay off in terms of actual outcomes. Social mobility measures take those into account, more so than inputs.”
With countries such as India, China, and Japan also now prioritising global top 100-200 university status for scholarships and grants awarded to outbound students and researchers in certain fields, Dan Smith, founder of RESI Consultancy and VerbaFlo.AI, observes that international student mobility is no longer purely market-driven as it is “increasingly shaped by state policy and rankings that reflect broader geopolitical and national strategic priorities”.
The very idea that there is a number 1 university in the world is pretty ludicrous
Eddie West, California State University, Fresno
“For one, universities in tier-two markets or those outside globally recognised rankings may see a sharp decline in applicants from certain regions if this practice spreads to policy-makers and governments elsewhere,” warned Smith.
“That would impact everything from tuition income to the viability of new course offerings and international partnerships. On the ground, this would also affect student services, recruitment budgets, and of course, accommodation demand.”
Smith noted that Purpose-built student accommodation operators, heavily reliant on students from ranking-sensitive markets like the UAE, China, or India, could be disproportionately impacted by this trend.
“We could see swings in occupancy across certain locations, reduced demand in secondary cities, and greater competition for tenants in the top-tier academic hubs. For some schemes, that may mean significant reductions in occupancy or more aggressive discounting just to remain full,” he added.
Well-known UK universities like the University of Central Lancashire, which, according to Smith’s post, hosts a large number UAE students, could also be hit by the new eligibility rules, potentially impacting Preston’s, where UCLan is based, PBSA sector.
“To prepare, operators should diversify their international student base, strengthen university partnerships, and scenario-plan for ranking-driven restrictions,” stated Smith.
“Most importantly, they need to evolve from being just landlords to strategic partners in the student recruitment and support ecosystem, offering value that goes beyond the bed.”
The UAE government’s mandate also comes at a time when universities in the UAE and across the Arab region have performed well in global university rankings such as QS, which is why the country maybe aiming to retain more of its talent domestically, allowing only top-ranked international institutions access to its student base.
Moreover, there’s a renewed attention on offering more support to encourage large families among Emirati nationals in the UAE.
As per a report by the Financial Times, the country’s fertility rate declined from 6.7 children per woman in 1970 to 3.7 by 2017, a shift that has left many Emiratis feeling like a ‘dwindling minority’ in their own country.
