The United Arab Emirates: Policy Choices Shaping the Future of Public Higher Education

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is in the midst of tremendous economic development. With a rapidly changing economy, it is increasingly important for this expatriate dependent country to start training a native, modern workforce with the skills required to enter the workplace. The UAE must continue improving and developing their higher education system if it wants to create graduates with the training and education required to compete with students and workers from over-seas. This paper will describe the UAE’s higher education system, as well as current and potential obstacles for UAE universities to overcome, focusing on issues such as funding concerns and student access.