Funding

Partial / Stipend

Bachelor's Scholarship•UAE · Abu Dhabi

Khalifa University Undergraduate Scholarships for International Students

Khalifa University

Application Deadline

Closed · March 2, 2026

Reopens ~Mar 2027

Official Page

Khalifa University is a research university in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Its bachelor’s degrees cover engineering, computing, mathematics, physical sciences and health sciences, and are taught in English on campus.

The scholarship for international students comes in five tiers, from a full tuition waiver down to university-supplied textbooks. The university assigns a tier on academic merit while it reads the admission file.

Applicants who are not UAE nationals go through this route. Emirati students admitted by direct admission are funded under a separate university scholarship.

Benefits & funding

  • Tier I: full coverage of tuition fees, with textbooks provided by the university.
  • Tier II: 75% tuition waiver, with textbooks provided.
  • Tier III: 50% tuition waiver, with textbooks provided.
  • Tier IV: 25% tuition waiver, with textbooks provided.
  • Tier V: textbooks provided by the university.
  • Undergraduate tuition is charged at AED 2,500 per credit hour, so each waiver is measured against that rate.
  • Housing is not part of the award. Campus housing is offered to international students subject to availability, and living costs stay with the student.

Eligibility

  • Open to international and expatriate applicants to a Khalifa University bachelor’s programme. UAE nationals admitted through direct admission receive a full scholarship under a separate scheme.
  • Admission to the university is the gate: scholarship eligibility is reviewed automatically with the admission application, and there is no separate scholarship form.
  • High school completion with the minimum grades set for each curriculum — 80% in mathematics and one science for the UAE advanced and elite streams, 90% for the general stream, 80% in Grade 12 for American, SABIS, CBSE and Pakistani boards, Grade C or above in at least five IGCSE or GCSE subjects for British curricula, at least 4 in every IB subject and 24 points overall, or 14 in the French Baccalaureate.
  • English proficiency of IELTS Academic 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 79.
  • SAT Math 700, or a 3 in AP Calculus AB or BC, or a 3 in AP Physics, Chemistry or Biology, strengthen an application. EmSAT is not required, and valid scores no older than 18 months are still considered.
  • Shortlisted applicants sit 90-minute Khalifa University admission tests in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Outstanding academic records can earn an exemption.
  • Meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee an award; the tier follows academic merit and the university’s stated priorities.
  • No age limit, work experience requirement or gender requirement is published.

Can you apply?

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  • Education required

    High School

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Application process

  1. 1
    Wait for the Fall 2027 application window to open — the university has not yet published that timeline.
  2. 2
    Create an application in the undergraduate portal and select your bachelor’s programme.
  3. 3
    Upload the attested high school certificate, the English test certificate, a passport copy and a passport-size photograph; UAE residents also submit an Emirates ID. Foreign and private school certificates must be equated and attested by the UAE Ministry of Education.
  4. 4
    Submit the video interview requested with the application.
  5. 5
    Sit the Khalifa University admission tests if you are shortlisted and not exempted.
  6. 6
    Read the scholarship tier in the admission offer. No application fee is charged.

Program timeline

  1. Application portal opens for UAE national applicants through the NAPO portal

    Oct 29, 2025

  2. Application portal opens for international and expatriate applicants

    Nov 17, 2025

  3. Khalifa University admission tests

    2026-02 to 2026-04

  4. Final deadline for all application materials

    Mar 2, 2026

  5. Fall 2026

    Studies begin; the Fall 2027 timeline has not been announced

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