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United Arab Emirates Check current round

UAEU International Student Scholarship

United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain is the country's oldest and largest public university, and its scholarship structure is materially more generous than that of the private international-branch campuses that dominate the Dubai market. At undergraduate level successful applicants receive either a 100 per cent or a 50 per cent tuition fee waiver depending on academic merit, with a benchmark around a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent. At Master's and PhD level the mechanism is different and, for a Sri Lankan applicant, better: graduate teaching and research assistantships cover tuition and typically include health insurance for the duration of the award, with a monthly stipend where the research project budget and the scope of work allow. That is closer to a European or North American funded postgraduate model than to the fee-discount model used across most of the Gulf. There is no separate scholarship application form. You apply for admission through the UAEU online portal and eligible applicants are considered automatically on academic merit. Two honest caveats. First, the university is in Al Ain, an inland city on the Omani border about ninety minutes from Dubai and Abu Dhabi — quieter and cheaper than either, but not the Dubai experience some applicants imagine when they choose the UAE. Second, a tuition waiver does not by itself satisfy the residency and financial requirements for a UAE student visa, which the university sponsors but which still requires medical clearance, Emirates ID processing and evidence you can support yourself. Stipend amounts on graduate assistantships vary by project and are not guaranteed, so confirm the figure in writing before you commit.

Admission rounds run for the autumn and spring semesters, and scholarship consideration is automatic within them. Confirm current merit thresholds and assistantship availability on uaeu.ac.ae

United Arab Emirates University

University-funded

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Undergraduate

50% or 100% tuition waiver on merit

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Master's and PhD

Assistantship with tuition waiver, insurance and possible stipend

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Application

None — automatic on your admission application

info How this award actually works

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Who awards it

United Arab Emirates University — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.

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What it covers

50% or 100% Undergraduate Tuition Waiver; Graduate Assistantships With Full Waiver and a Stipend. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.

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Where we come in

We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Around a 3.0/4.0 Academic Standard

The published benchmark is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or equivalent across prior study. Ask UAEU admissions how your Sri Lankan A/L results or bachelor's average convert before assuming which waiver band you fall into.

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Open to International Applicants

The scheme is aimed at international students across undergraduate, Master's and PhD programmes. Sri Lankan citizens apply on the same terms as other internationals; there is no quota or nomination step.

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Graduate Funding Comes Through Assistantships

At postgraduate level the funding is a teaching or research assistantship rather than a pure scholarship. That means work obligations — teaching support, lab or project work — attached to the award. Clarify the hours before accepting.

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The Stipend Is Not Guaranteed

A monthly stipend depends on the specific research project budget and the scope of work assigned. Some assistantships carry a waiver and insurance but little or no cash. Get the stipend figure in writing rather than assuming the maximum.

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No Separate Scholarship Form

You are considered automatically when you apply for admission through the UAEU portal. This makes it low-effort to try, but it also means an incomplete admission file directly costs you scholarship consideration.

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The Campus Is in Al Ain, Not Dubai

UAEU's main campus is in Al Ain, roughly an hour and a half from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Living costs are lower and the city is quieter and more conservative. If proximity to Dubai's job market is central to your plan, factor in the distance.

account_tree Application Process

Apply through the UAEU online admission portal

Submit your application for the programme and intake you want, with full transcripts and English evidence. Scholarship consideration flows from this application.

Ask admissions how your results convert

The waiver band depends on the GPA equivalence UAEU assigns to your Sri Lankan qualifications. Getting that number early tells you whether you are competing for the 100 per cent or the 50 per cent band.

For postgraduate study, contact potential supervisors directly

Assistantships attach to projects and departments. Emailing academics whose research matches yours, with a CV and a short proposal, is how funded graduate places are actually secured — the admission portal alone rarely produces one.

Confirm the award terms in the offer

Check the waiver percentage, whether it applies for every year, the renewal GPA condition, and for assistantships the stipend, hours and insurance cover. Do this before paying anything.

UAE student residence visa

The university sponsors student residence visas. Expect medical fitness testing, Emirates ID registration and health insurance. Budget the visa and medical processing costs, which are not usually covered by the waiver.

Plan living costs in Al Ain

Accommodation, food and transport in Al Ain are meaningfully cheaper than in Dubai. Convert your budget at 87 rupees to the dirham and check whether on-campus housing is available to international students at your level.

Why UAEU?

Founded in 1976, United Arab Emirates University is the country's flagship public institution and consistently the highest-ranked university in the UAE, with research strength in engineering, information technology, medicine and health sciences, food and agriculture, and business. For Sri Lankan students the Gulf has a specific practical logic that Western destinations do not: flight time to Colombo is short and cheap, there is a large established Sri Lankan community across the Emirates, the academic year runs in English, and graduates who find employment in the UAE can support family at home in a currency pegged to the US dollar. A public university with a genuine tuition-waiver scheme is a very different proposition from a branch campus offering a percentage discount on a high headline fee.

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Top undergraduate tuition waiver

1976

University founded

Al Ain

Main campus location

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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