The UAE's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research says university enrolment has continued to climb, with admissions up 15 percent last academic year and total student numbers now above 218,000 for 2025-2026.
More than 64,000 students were admitted and enrolled during the previous academic year, including about 32,000 Emiratis. Of the 218,000 students currently enrolled across the country's higher education institutions, roughly 124,000 are Emirati.
The ministry credits flexible admissions policies for the growth, saying they give students broader opportunities to build the knowledge and skills the labour market needs, in line with national economic priorities. Dr. Ahmad Sultan Al Shoaibi, Undersecretary of the ministry, outlined the details in an interview with the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
Diploma and higher diploma programmes have seen the sharpest rise. Enrolment in these pathways grew from 3,995 in 2021-2022 to 10,926 in 2025-2026, an increase of 173 percent. Dr. Al Shoaibi said the expansion gives students more options while helping them gain qualifications that improve their readiness for work.
He said the ministry monitors admissions and enrolment indicators on an ongoing basis through a real-time data link with universities, which also helps institutions manage their admissions processes in line with national legislation and approved frameworks.
Universities now have greater freedom to set admission criteria according to the nature of their programmes and specialisations. Dr. Al Shoaibi described this as part of a broader shift in how the sector is governed, moving away from tight regulation of inputs and towards institutional autonomy tied to accountability for outcomes. An outcomes-based assessment framework sits alongside that flexibility.
He was firm that the approach does not mean lower standards. The ministry will not tolerate admissions practices that undermine the quality of education or its results, he said, and institutions remain responsible for ensuring their criteria suit their programmes.
Ministerial Resolution No. 19 of 2024 sets the rules. It requires universities to publish clear admission criteria for each programme, allows conditional admission subject to completing preparatory or remedial courses, and provides diploma, higher diploma and partial qualification routes matched to students' abilities.
The ministry also addressed the absence of a single minimum secondary school grade across institutions and the lack of prior approval for each change to admission criteria. It said neither means oversight has been removed. Compliance is checked through accreditation renewals, periodic inspection visits and continuous assessment of admissions practices, and action can be taken where quality is affected.
The ministry drew a clear line between the UAE's regulated model and open admission without academic controls. It said the impact of flexibility should be judged not only at the point of entry but also through student retention and completion, employment outcomes, education quality and how well graduates' skills match the needs of the national economy.
Looking ahead, the ministry plans to keep developing the sector around learning outcomes, employment, partnerships with industry and tools to anticipate future labour market needs. It described wider access to higher education and high graduate standards as complementary goals.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
