The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reduced government sponsorship for citizens planning to study in the United Kingdom (UK), highlighting tensions between both countries. According to the Financial Times, the move is linked to long-running disagreements over the UK’s refusal to ban the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood group.
Abu Dhabi has removed British universities from its list of global institutions eligible for government-backed scholarships. The policy affects Emirati students who depend on federal support to study abroad and adds to recent strains between the two governments.
In June last year, the UAE Ministry of Higher Education released a list of overseas universities whose degrees would be recognised and whose students could receive state funding. The review aimed to limit support to institutions considered strong internationally. Universities in the US, Australia, France and Israel made the list, but none from the UK were included.
The Financial Times reported that sources linked the decision to UAE concerns about possible Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses.
The UK has long been a key study destination for UAE students who benefit from government scholarships. However, funding for new UK-bound students had already been reduced earlier, the report said. Those already enrolled are still receiving support.
In the year ending September 2025, only 213 Emirati students received UK study visas, a 27 per cent drop from the previous year and 55 per cent down from 2022.
The UAE has also said that degrees from universities not on its approved list will not be recognised, reducing the value of UK qualifications for Emirati graduates.
When British officials questioned why UK universities were missing from the list, UAE representatives said the decision was intentional. A source told the Financial Times it was not an “oversight”.
“[The UAE] don’t want their kids to be radicalised on campus,” the source said.
Official UK data shows that in the 2023–24 academic year, 70 university students were flagged for potential referral to Prevent, the UK’s deradicalisation programme, over possible “Islamist radicalisation”. This was almost double the figure recorded the previous year, out of nearly 3 million students in higher education.
The UAE has taken a hard line against Islamist groups both domestically and internationally. Under President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi has frequently questioned why the UK has not banned the Muslim Brotherhood.
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A 2015 UK government review found no evidence linking the group to terrorist activity in or against Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government has kept the matter under “close review”.
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has pledged to ban the Muslim Brotherhood if elected prime minister. The UAE government funded his trip to the country last year, according to the Financial Times.
The scholarship issue comes amid other areas of disagreement, including concerns over an Abu Dhabi-supported attempt to purchase The Daily Telegraph, disputes relating to Sudan , which the UAE denies, and an ongoing legal case involving Manchester City, owned by Emirati interests.
Despite the growing tension, UK universities continue to expand in the UAE. Several institutions, including the University of Manchester and Heriot-Watt University, operate campuses in Dubai.