The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has revealed an approved five-year plan aimed at increasing the capacity of federal universities from the current 70% to 94% over the next five years, as part of the UAE\u2019s efforts to expand access to higher education and strengthen the ability of academic institutions to meet growing student demand.<\/p>\n
The plan includes increasing the number of admitted and funded students by around 18%. It also provides for regular studies into the possibility of opening new university branches or campuses, based on several factors, including geographical need, student numbers and required specialisations, while avoiding duplication with existing programmes or educational institutions in the same areas.<\/p>\n
28% Growth in Student Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n A statistical report issued by the ministry showed that the number of students enrolled in higher education institutions across the country grew by 28% over the past five years. Universities also recorded a 7% increase in student numbers compared with last year, following the completion of the spring semester.<\/p>\n According to the report, the number of students joining higher education institutions increased by more than 45,000 over the past five years. This reflects the expansion of the university education base in the country and the growing demand for a wide range of academic programmes.<\/p>\n The employment rate of Emirati graduates from federal higher education institutions reached 77% during the 2024\/2025 academic year. This indicator highlights the importance of aligning education outcomes with labour market requirements and supports the UAE\u2019s efforts to prepare national talent capable of competing in different sectors.<\/p>\n A Developing Higher Education System<\/strong><\/p>\n The ministry confirmed that the UAE\u2019s higher education system is witnessing rapid development, reflecting the country\u2019s vision of investing in human capital and providing quality education that keeps pace with the needs of the future economy.<\/p>\n It noted that current indicators reflect the success of national policies in expanding access to higher education, improving the quality of educational outcomes and linking academic programmes to labour market needs, especially in sectors related to advanced technologies and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n The ministry is working to develop programmes and specialisations in a way that ensures their alignment with future jobs and enhances graduates\u2019 ability to enter the labour market efficiently, with a focus on required skills and priority national fields.<\/p>\n 2,400 Academic Programmes in Higher Education Institutions<\/strong><\/p>\n Higher education institutions in the UAE offer 2,400 academic programmes covering several fields of national priority. The number of graduates reached 192,785, while the number of scholarship students sent by sponsoring entities under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, according to approved cooperation or supervision agreements, reached 1,793.<\/p>\n The total number of students in higher education institutions stands at 205,000, including 119,000 Emiratis. The number of higher education institutions reached 150, including 103 licensed institutions and 45 institutions in free zones.<\/p>\n The three federal higher education institutions have 59,000 students enrolled in 232 academic programmes. In addition, 70,000 students are studying at 43 local government universities that offer 839 academic programmes, while 57 private universities host around 76,000 students across 1,349 academic programmes.<\/p>\n Emirates Skills Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n The ministry explained that the recently launched \u201cEmirates Skills\u201d platform is a forward-looking national system supported by artificial intelligence. It aims to connect the current education system with labour market needs and future jobs.<\/p>\n The platform relies on monitoring labour market trends through automated tracking of jobs, skills, qualifications and specialisations required in the market. It also forecasts the size of the workforce over the next 10 years and studies the impact of technology on jobs and skills.<\/p>\n The platform also contributes to evaluating the higher education system by comparing the supply and demand for skills by specialisation, assessing academic programmes according to labour market requirements, and supporting career guidance for students by identifying required skills, analysing gaps and providing recommendations on jobs, educational programmes and training options.<\/p>\n An Integrated Educational and Career Journey<\/strong><\/p>\n The Emirates Skills platform provides students with an educational and career journey based on accurate data, starting from general education and extending to entry into the labour market. This journey includes exploring future careers, identifying the most suitable academic programmes and updating the student\u2019s skills record after choosing a study path.<\/p>\n The platform allows students to assess how well programmes match labour market needs, explore required skills and follow the latest career trends. It also helps them choose suitable elective courses, develop their CVs and access practical training opportunities.<\/p>\n The platform also supports students as they move into the labour market and choose their first job in line with future requirements. It continues to support employees by maintaining a skills record and providing opportunities for continuous learning, capability development and professional certifications.<\/p>\n Strengthening Universities\u2019 Readiness for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n The plan to raise the capacity of federal universities to 94% within five years reflects a clear direction toward developing higher education in the UAE and increasing its ability to accommodate students while maintaining the quality of academic programmes and linking them to development needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced an approved five-year plan to raise the capacity of federal universities to 94%, while student numbers have grown by 28% over the past five years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[242],"class_list":["post-15201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-stories","tag-education"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15203,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15201\/revisions\/15203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.uaehumanjourney.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}