United Arab Emirates: Costs

Tuition and living costs

Public university tuition

No single national fee. Published non-national rates at the federal/government-linked universities checked: Khalifa University BSc AED 2,500 per credit hour, estimated AED 81,250 per year over a normal 4 years (master's AED 5,000 per credit hour; PhD AED 6,666); University of Sharjah (schedule for students admitted from 2022/23 onwards) AED 60,703 per year / AED 30,351 per semester / AED 2,529 per credit hour for Computer Science, Business Administration and Computer Engineering (higher rates for some engineering and communication programmes, up to AED 66,854 per year for Nuclear Engineering); UAE University 2026/27 and onwards AED 2,661 per credit hour (e.g. Computer Science 120 credit hours = AED 319,320 total; engineering 132 credit hours = AED 351,252), earlier cohorts pay lower per-credit rates; Zayed University AED 2,500 per credit hour for non-national students (application fee AED 250 + VAT). Fees may be revised (Khalifa: increases capped at 5% per academic year).Show moreSource

Private university tuition

Private universities and international branch campuses set their own fees. Checked: Heriot-Watt University Dubai AED 82,264 per year (Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering) and AED 78,650 (International Business Management) listed as 'Full Time', VAT inclusive; RIT Dubai AED 68,000 per year for bachelor programmes (students admitted from Fall 2023; fees may be revised without notice); University of Birmingham Dubai: Computer Science with Integrated Foundation Year AED 134,922 (foundation year) / AED 156,718 (later years) for January 2027 entry and AED 146,806 / AED 162,203 for September 2027 entry, Business Management with Foundation AED 123,506 / 134,922 (Jan 2027) and 133,199 / 146,806 (Sep 2027); NYU Abu Dhabi tuition USD 68,574 for 2026-27 (total estimated cost of attendance USD 90,434), with need-based financial aid.Show moreSource

Monthly living cost

No national government living-cost figure found. University of Birmingham Dubai publishes a student estimate for Dubai: single-room rent AED 4,600 per month (full academic-year contract), groceries AED 1,000, recreation AED 600, mobile AED 160, taxi travel AED 500 = AED 6,860 per month excluding visa. Khalifa University (Abu Dhabi) undergraduate housing AED 20,000 per fall/spring term (single occupancy in a double room) or AED 10,000 (double occupancy), graduate students AED 2,000-3,000 per month. NYU Abu Dhabi 2026-27 budget: housing USD 6,000, food USD 5,800, books USD 1,730, personal USD 2,364 per year (university-specific). University of Sharjah undergraduate dorms AED 2,520 (triple) to AED 11,740 (deluxe single) per fall/spring semester. Zayed University states it does not provide accommodation. Treat all as university-specific indicators, not city averages.Show moreSource