Why UAE universities record high enrolment this academic year

Dubai: The UAE’s higher education sector has posted its largest student intake in a decade, with 57,035 new admissions recorded across 66 higher education institutions (HEIs) for the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR).

The total marks a 13% increase compared to the previous year and reflects the growing demand for higher education among both Emirati and international students.

MoHESR data shows that female students made up 54% of total enrolments, reaching 30,756, a 10% rise from 2023—2024. The number of male students increased by 18% to 26,281, underlining a broad-based growth trend across the sector.

Flexible admission

The Ministry attributed the increase to a more efficient and flexible admission framework supported by enhanced digital services such as the Unified Registration System (URS). The 2024 regulatory update also granted universities greater autonomy to design academic programmes and set admission criteria based on students’ abilities rather than solely on test results.

Academic quality

Taif Mohamed Alamiri, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education and Scientific Research Regulation and Governance Sector at MoHESR, said: “MoHESR is refining the admission system to balance growing enrolment with academic quality, relying on unified digital platforms and continuous feedback to provide efficient, transparent admission processes. Last year’s regulatory update has given HEIs more flexibility to design educational programmes and set admission criteria based on students’ abilities, not just test scores. This opens new pathways for studying specialised fields that support the national economy and future job market needs.”

MoHESR reaffirmed that the strong enrolment growth supports the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which aims to create a modern, agile education ecosystem that empowers youth with the skills needed to build a competitive, knowledge-based economy.