UAEU's flagship PhD Fellowship — open to all nationalities — recruits high-achieving doctoral students in priority research sectors and gives them full, continuous financial support for four years. Two tiers exist: the Full Package (full tuition waiver, monthly stipend, health insurance, research bonus) and the Basic Package (full tuition waiver, health insurance, plus optional paid GTA/GAA work). You apply for admission and the fellowship in parallel; the fellowship deadline is the admission deadline.
Why it is notable: the fellowship has no separate published deadline — it inherits the admission deadline, which the official PDF lists per college group (e.g. 3 November 2026 for several Master/PharmD groups), so applicants who wait for a "scholarship deadline" miss the window entirely.
Funding at a glance
What it covers
Full Package: full tuition waiver; monthly stipend; health insurance (if needed); extra bonus — up to AED 3,000/month from the supervisor's external research project, or up to AED 2,000/month from an internal research project
Basic Package: full tuition waiver; health insurance (if needed); optional additional work as GTA/GAA up to 20 hours/week (up to AED 4,000/month), subject to availability
4-year continuous funding, conditional on maintaining GPA ≥3.0 and full-time enrolment
Eligibility criteria
Qualification Required
Masters/MPhilfor PhD
"This fellowship is offered for PhD programmes at UAEU, with the dissertation in a UAE priority sector."
Who can apply
all nationalities — the official page is titled "PhD Fellowship (All Nationalities)"
Experience
No experience required — selection is on credentials (GPA, journal publications, conference presentations, patents, GRE score, recommendation letters, and where the applicant graduated from)
Language Certificate
course-dependent — English proficiency per UAEU PhD admission requirements (IELTS/TOEFL thresholds on the admission pages)
Other Certificates
master's degree with GPA ≥3.3/4.0; copies of all credentials (publications, patents, GRE) submitted at application
Age Limit
No Age Limit
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07Research/dissertation proposal aligned with a UAE priority sector
Application fee
application fee applies per UAEU admissions policy — confirm the current fee on the admission portal (not stated as waiv
Visa, kept concise: Study visa type for this destination: UAE student residence visa, sponsored by UAEU — the university issues the entry permit for admitted international PhD students
Application Procedure
10 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.
01
Choose a UAEU PhD programme whose research
aligns with a UAE priority sector, and check the programme's admission requirements.
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02
Complete the online admission application on the
UAEU College of Graduate Studies portal.
→
03
Complete the separate PhD Fellowship Application Form
(linked on the fellowship page) and submit copies of all credentials (transcripts, publications, patents, GRE, recommendation letters).
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06
Completed online admission application
←
05
Await the competitive selection decision —
awards are based on credentials and the institution graduated from.
←
04
Submit both applications before the admission deadline
for your programme (the fellowship deadline is the same as the admission deadline).
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07
Completed PhD Fellowship Application Form
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08
Master's degree certificate and transcripts (GPA ≥3.3)
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09
Copies of all credentials —
journal publications, conference presentations, patents, GRE score
↓
10
Recommendation letters
Application milestones
3 Nov 2026
Application deadline
2027
Intake year
Ready to apply?
Continue on the official United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain platform.
What is the purpose of the PhD Fellowship? A: To recruit high-achieving graduate students in certain majors at UAEU and provide full, continuous financial support for their graduate studies.Who is eligible? A: Applicants with GPA ≥3.3/4.0 in a master's degree, no employment or other financial sponsorship, a dissertation in a UAE priority sector, who meet the PhD admission requirements.What are the two benefit packages? A: Full Package — full tuition waiver, monthly stipend, health insurance, plus a research bonus (up to AED 3,000 external / AED 2,000 internal). Basic Package — fullHow long does the fellowship last? A: 4 years, conditional on maintaining GPA ≥3.0 and full-time enrolment.What is the fellowship deadline? A: The same as the admission application deadline — check the official deadlines PDF for your programme.How do I apply? A: Complete the admission application and the separate PhD Fellowship Application Form, submitting copies of all credentials.What duties come with the Full Package? A: Full-time availability at UAEU, 40 hours/week on courses/research, GTA/GAA hours (5/week in the first 3 semesters, 10/week after), and maintaining GPA ≥3.0.Who do I contact? A: College of Graduate Studies — cgs@uaeu.ac.ae, +971 3 713 4048.
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United Arab Emirates · United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain