Skip to main content Home News Rankings Jobs Students Events Campus Solutions News Home Latest Opinion In-depth Newsletters Podcasts Campus Practical insights from and for academics and university staff Home Key topics in HE Spotlight guides Career advice Podcasts University partners Green skills About Newsletter sign up Jobs Home Find a job Jobs alerts Careers advice Post a job Events Home Upcoming events Partner with us Awards Rankings Home World University Rankings 2026 Rankings by subject Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026 Interdisciplinary Science Rankings Arab Rankings Asia Rankings Latin America University Rankings News About THE rankings Student Everything you need for each step of your study abroad journey Home Best universities Business education Events/ festivals Counsellor resources Solutions Home Data and insights Consultancy Hiring solutions Advertising Institutional subscriptions Student recruitment Campus+ Share on twitter Share on facebook 2 Register Login Subscribe UAE cuts UK from scholarship funding over extremism concerns Students encouraged to study elsewhere owing to concerns about the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on UK campuses Published on January 9, 2026 Last updated January 9, 2026 Juliette Rowsell Share on bluesky Share on linkedin Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on mail 2 Source: iStock/Stefan Tomic The United Arab Emirates has restricted funding for its students wishing to study at British universities over concerns about extremism on campuses. A list of eligible universities where students from the UAE can receive scholarships for study in the coming academic year has been published and notably excludes all UK institutions. The scholarships, which do cover universities in the US, Australia and across the rest of Europe, provide students with generous funds to cover both tuition fees, as well as a monthly stipend to cover basic living expenses while they study abroad. According to reporting in The Times and Financial Times, all UK funding has been limited because of concerns over the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood on UK campuses, which is proscribed as a terrorist group in the UAE. ADVERTISEMENT People familiar with the situation told the FT that the exclusion was not an “oversight”, but that the UAE did not want its students to become “radicalised” while studying at British institutions. The UAE has long campaigned for the Muslim Brotherhood to receive the same status in the UK and across Europe, but a previous 2015 government review – led by John Jenkins, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia – concluded that while the group “promoted a radical [and] transformative politics”, it stopped short of banning the group. ADVERTISEMENT The exclusion of UK institutions does not prevent Emirati students from studying in the UK, and those who are able to self-fund will still be able to apply. According to figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, the number of UAE students studying in the UK doubled between 2017 and 2024 to 8,500. The University of Lancashire had the highest number of students, followed by the universities of Manchester and Leeds, King’s College London and UCL. juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com Read more about Read more about: Students Internationalisation International students in the UK Register to continue Why register? Registration is free and only takes a moment Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month Sign up for our newsletter Register Subscribe Or subscribe for unlimited access to: Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews Digital editions Digital access to THE’s university and college rankings analysis Subscribe Already registered or a current subscriber? Login Please Login or Register to read this article. Related articles Moving to UAE ‘like being dropped on Mars’, say émigré faculty Culture shocks experienced by international academics moving to Middle East put progress of universities at risk, study finds By Juliette Rowsell 15 May MENA Universities Summit: UAE loosens visa rules to keep research talent Recent changes to visa represent shift in thinking about attracting and retaining brightest graduates, says education adviser Maryam Riaz By Jack Grove 30 November Will branch campuses in Saudi Arabia finally get off the ground? Fresh set of universities attempt to launch in oil-rich country as it seeks diversification but experts warn tight control by government remains a barrier By Patrick Jack 4 November How Dubai’s business school bubble burst Boom and bust could herald a depression for the global sector, warn Finnish academics By Matthew Reisz 24 April Reader's comments (2) #1 Submitted by kioj156... on January 10, 2026 - 3:02am I can say from personal experience that a lot of academics and staff are absolutely terrified to express their opinions when students from a certain demographic are in the lecture hall, it baffles me that we are held hostage like so and unwilling to speak out against the intimidation we face. I fear that only international shame and reputational damage will provoke change. #2 Submitted by ... on January 10, 2026 - 1:51pm I think we should be concerned about the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and the intimidation they carry out in British Muslim communities against the overwhelming majority who do not follow their divisive and often violent political ideology. You might also like ‘Mismatched ambitions’: Stanford exits South Korean global campus Elite US institution pulls plug on research centre in troubled internationalisation hub By Rosalind Skillen 25 August ‘Islands of internationalisation’ risk as central Asian hubs grow Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan urged to ensure domestic universities and research systems benefit from branch campus push By Rosalind Skillen 25 August Burnham in EU fees balancing act as crunch talks loom Any concessions made by new prime minister likely to be fiercely opposed by universities fearful of losing millions of pounds in income By Seher Asaf 25 August ‘Nightmare’ for Manchester students as course ‘ends early’ Erasmus-supported cohort ‘shocked’ to learn they had been reported to the Home Office for completing studies midway through final projects By Georgia Luckhurst 24 August Sponsored Featured jobs See all jobs Update job preferences ADVERTISEMENT FAQs Contact us About us Work for THE Privacy Cookie policy Accessibility statement THE Connect Media Centre Modern slavery statement University Directory Copyright © 2026 THE - Times Higher Education Subscribe to Times Higher Education As the voice of global higher education, THE is an invaluable daily resource. Subscribe today to receive unlimited news and analyses, commentary from the sharpest minds in international academia, our influential university rankings analysis and the latest insights from our World Summit series. Find out more