UAEU PhD Scholarship

• The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) PhD Scholarship is a fully funded doctoral award open to high-achieving graduate students of all nationalities.

• Offered by the College of Graduate Studies (CGS), the scholarship is designed to recruit exceptional researchers whose work aligns with the UAE's national development priorities.

• UAEU was founded in 1976 and is ranked #261 in the QS World University Rankings 2025.

• Home to over 16,000 students, The UAEU provides scholars with a world-class research environment, expert faculty supervision, and cutting-edge facilities in Al Ain, UAE.

• Two funding tracks are available under this program:

PhD Scholarship (All Nationalities): The primary fully funded track, covering 100% tuition waiver, a monthly stipend, health insurance, and a research bonus of up to AED 3,000. Requires a minimum Master's GPA of 3.5/4.0.

PhD Fellowship (All Nationalities): An alternative track with the same core benefits under the Full Package, or a tuition-only Basic Package. Requires a minimum Master's GPA of 3.3/4.0 and a commitment to publish at least one peer-reviewed journal article during the award.

Maximum Award per Student

• Tuition: 100% of PhD tuition fees are waived for the full duration of the scholarship, up to 4 years. There is no partial band; all scholarship recipients receive the full tuition waiver.

• Monthly Stipend: A monthly stipend is provided to all PhD Scholarship and Fellowship (Full Package) recipients throughout the award period. The exact amount is subject to UAEU's annual budget.

• Research Bonus: Up to AED 3,000/month from the supervisor's external research project, or up to AED 2,000/month from an internal university research project, subject to availability of the supervisor's project funding.

Duration of the Award

• Fixed Term: The scholarship is awarded for a maximum period of 4 years.

• Semester Extension: A faculty supervisor may request one semester extension with documented justification, submitted to the College of Graduate Studies during the first month of the student's final semester.

• Automatic Continuation: The award renews each semester automatically, provided the student meets all eligibility and performance conditions. No re-application is required each year.

• Forfeiture: If the student fails to meet any eligibility requirement in any semester, the award is automatically forfeited and the student is notified by the College of Graduate Studies.

Type of Expense Covered

Application Process

• Online Submission: All applications must be submitted online via the official UAEU application portal at apply.uaeu.ac.ae. The PhD Scholarship is assessed as part of the PhD admission application. No completely separate scholarship form is required for the PhD Scholarship — scholarship eligibility is evaluated during the admission review.

• Fellowship Form (Fellowship Track Only): Applicants applying for the PhD Fellowship must additionally download and submit a separate Fellowship application form alongside their admission application.

• Documentation: All credential copies must be submitted at the time of application. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Certified copies are required — plain photocopies are not accepted.

• Competitive Selection: Awards depend on the availability of budget and the strength of the applicant pool. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an award. Applicants are evaluated on GPA, publications, GRE score, recommendation letters, research experience, and the ranking of their previous institution.

Eligibility & Document Requirements

• GPA Cut-offs: PhD Scholarship applicants must hold a Master's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/4.0. PhD Fellowship applicants require a minimum Master's GPA of 3.3/4.0. Both tracks also require a Bachelor's degree GPA of at least 2.5/4.0.

• English Proficiency: A minimum IELTS Academic score of 6.5 (or TOEFL equivalent) is required for English-medium PhD programs. The score must be less than two years old at the time of application. Native English speakers and applicants from English-medium Master's programs may be exempt — confirm with UAEU admissions.

• Research Area: The PhD dissertation must fall within one of the UAE's six national priority sectors: Renewable Energy, Transportation, Health, Water, Technology, or Space. Proposals outside these areas are not eligible.

• Employment Restriction: Applicants must not hold any employment or receive any other external financial sponsorship at the time of application.

• Required Documents: Certified copies of Master's and Bachelor's degree certificates and transcripts; UAE Ministry of Education equivalency letter (if applicable); IELTS/TOEFL certificate; Curriculum Vitae (CV); two letters of recommendation; valid passport copy; personal photograph; GRE score (recommended); list of publications (if any); research proposal in a UAE priority sector; non-refundable application fee receipt.

• Retention Requirements: To keep the award active, PhD Scholarship holders must maintain a GPA of ≥ 3.3/4.0 at the PhD level; remain enrolled full-time (minimum 9 credits/semester); be physically present at UAEU full-time; commit to a minimum of 40 hours/week on research; and serve as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or Graduate Administrative Assistant (GAA) for a minimum of 5 hours/week during the first 3 semesters, increasing to 10 hours/week thereafter.

• No Outside Employment: Recipients must not take up any job or external financial sponsorship during the award period. Additional roles within UAEU (e.g. GTA/GAA) are permitted only with prior written approval from the Fellowship supervisor and must not exceed 10 hours per week.

• Publication Requirement (Fellowship Only): PhD Fellowship holders are required to publish at least one research paper in a peer-reviewed, indexed journal in their discipline area during the award period. (This is a formal condition of the Fellowship, not the Scholarship.)

• Single Award Rule: Students must not be financially sponsored by any other organisation while holding the UAEU PhD Scholarship or Fellowship. Dual sponsorship is generally not permitted unless explicitly approved in writing by UAEU.

• Budget Dependency: All UAEU scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships depend on the availability of budget. Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria does not guarantee approval. The number of awards made each year varies.

• GTA Monthly Salary: Students serving as Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTA) earn a monthly salary in the range of AED 1,500 to AED 3,000, depending on the number of assigned courses, paid in addition to any scholarship stipend.