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Funding

Fully Funded

MBZUAI Fully Funded M.Sc. and Ph.D. Programs

Master's ScholarshipUAE · Abu Dhabi

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)

Application Deadline

December 15, 2026

Official Page

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  • Education required

    Bachelor Enrolled · Bachelor

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Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), a university in Abu Dhabi funded by the UAE Government, offers fully funded M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs.

Students study full-time on campus in areas such as AI, machine learning, computer vision, NLP, robotics, computer science, computational biology and statistics. The fee-based Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence is not funded.

Benefits & funding

  • Free tuition, a monthly stipend, one return flight home a year, health insurance for the funded period, and a UAE residence visa and Emirates ID (where eligible).
  • Monthly stipend for international students: AED 15,500 (M.Sc.) or AED 17,500 (Ph.D.); UAE nationals: AED 37,500 / AED 43,500.
  • Funding depends on satisfactory progress and in-person presence on campus; an external scholarship normally replaces the stipend.
  • Ph.D. students are funded by the university in Year 1, then by their faculty advisor from Year 2 at the latest.

Eligibility

  • Open to all nationalities.
  • A STEM degree (e.g. computer science, electrical or computer engineering, mathematics, physics) from an accredited institution recognised by the UAE Ministry of Education.
  • Minimum CGPA of 3.0 or 3.5 out of 4.0, depending on the program; Ph.D.: a bachelor’s with 3.5 or a master’s with 3.0.
  • Final-year students may apply with a transcript; official degree documents are due on admission.
  • English: e.g. IELTS Academic 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 90, unless exempt because the previous degree was taught and assessed entirely in English (conditions in the FAQ).

Application process

  1. 1
    Apply through the online portal by 15 December 2026, 5 p.m. GST (Computational Biology: 22 January 2027); only one application per cycle is processed.
  2. 2
    Submit a 500–1,000-word statement of purpose, English scores and referees: two for M.Sc., three for Ph.D.; Ph.D. applicants add a research statement.
  3. 3
    Take the mandatory online screening exam within 10 days of applying, then pay the AED 200 fee (waived with a score of 75%+, refunded on enrolment).
  4. 4
    Selected applicants may be invited to a faculty interview.

Program timeline

  1. Portal opens

    7 Sep 2026

  2. 15 Dec 2026

    Final deadline (Computational Biology: 22 Jan 2027)

  3. Decisions

    31 Mar 2027

  4. Offer response due

    15 Apr 2027

  5. Fall semester begins

    Mid-Aug 2027

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