History & Key Achievements

Throughout our short history we have helped shape our country and wider region through research and the dissemination of knowledge. We strive to preserve our national heritage, while pursuing innovate solutions and promoting academic excellence.

1976

Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahayan, the first President of the UAE, understood that the future of any nation depends upon the education of its young people. He dreamed of a national flagship university that would provide students with a world class education and supply the knowledge and the skilled workers necessary to support the national economy, while helping to solve some of the nation’s most pressing problems through research. In 1976 his dream became a reality when the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was established.

1977

In 1977 the university opened with four faculties. These were the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, known then as the Faculty of Arts; the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Business and Economics, known then as the Faculty of Administrative and Political Science.

1978

The Faculty of Shari'ah and Law was established.

1980

The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering were established.

1982

The first student cohort graduated. This included 192 male and 50 female students, some of whom now hold key leadership position in the country.

1986

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is established to improve medical services in the UAE, to reduce dependence on expatriate physicians and to begin a research program relevant to the needs of the country. Today, the College of Medicine and Health Sciences is ranked among the top medical schools in the Middle East.

1991

The first Master's Degree Program is established in the Faculty of Science. It is an interdisciplinary program in environmental sciences.

1998

The College of Engineering receives ABET accreditation and the university established the Continuing Education Center as another means of serving the community.

1999

The College of Business and Economics receives AACSB accreditation.

2000

The university establishes the Faculty of Information Technology and the Research Affairs Unit to manage and promote scientific research.

2003

English becomes the language of instruction.

2006

UAEU is placed among the top 10 research universities in the Islamic world by the SESRTCIC, OIC Research Center and ‘Smart Classrooms’ are introduced.

2007

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences receives the Hamdan Award for Best Medical College in the Arab World.

2008

UAEU is chosen by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) to be the second overseas venue for examinations in the Faculty of Occupational Medicine.

2009

The first Ph.D program is established.

2010

The university moves to a new state-of-the-art campus situated in Al Ain. The 80 hectare campus is a showcase of modern architecture, high-tech laboratories, specialized research centers, cutting-edge IT infrastructure and twenty-first century classroom technology.

2011

UAEU ranks 338 in the QS World University rankings. The highest rankings to date. The College of IT receives ABET Accreditation.

2012

Mobile learning is introduced and UAEU ranks in the top 50 world universities that were founded within the past 50 years (QS World University Rankings).

2013

University College is established. It includes three programs: The University Foundation Program; the Student Academic Success Program and the General Education Program. This assists students with the transition from high school to university, enhances student engagement, integrates academic and co-curricular programs, connects students with resources and fosters both independent and lifelong learning.

2014

UAEU received institutional accreditation from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

2016

UAEU receives international institutional accreditation from the WASC (Senior College and University Commission WSCUC).

2017

The “Roadmap to the University of the Future” was launched.

2018

Achieving a ranking among the top 300 universities globally according to QS rankings.

2019

• Ranked first in the country according to the Times Higher Education ranking.
• Ranked among the top 301-350 universities globally.

2020

Signed a partnership with the University of Oxford to enhance scientific research in health and sustainability fields.

2021

UAEU launches the “Smart Roads” project.

2022

UAEU receives institutional accreditation for universities for 10 years.

2023

UAEU ranked first in the UAE and second in the GCC according to the QS Global MBA Rankings 2023.

2024

• Published over 25,000 research papers since its establishment, covering fields such as engineering, medicine, and artificial intelligence.
• Launched a national research project on clean energy in collaboration with global partners.