UAE Drops UK from Scholarship List, Citing Fears of Islamist Radicalisation and Muslim Brotherhood Influence

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has removed the United Kingdom from the list of countries where its students can study under government-funded scholarships, citing concerns over Islamist radicalisation by the Muslim Brotherhood on British university campuses and the safety of Emirati students. The move signals growing unease in Abu Dhabi over how the UK is handling extremist networks and reflects emerging tensions between the two long-standing allies.

According to reports by the Financial Times, British universities have been removed from the UAE’s official list of institutions eligible for federal scholarships. The revised list, published in 2025 for the 2026 academic intake, includes universities in the United States, Australia, France, Israel and other countries, but notably excludes the UK. UAE officials confirmed to their British counterparts that the omission was deliberate and not an administrative error.

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The Financial Times reported that the exclusion is linked to fears of Islamist radicalisation on UK campuses, particularly the perceived influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE designated a terrorist organisation in 2014. UAE officials reportedly told UK counterparts that they “do not want their children to be radicalised on campus.”

Abu Dhabi has repeatedly urged Western countries to ban the group, arguing that it poses a threat to its relatively secular and socially liberal system. The UK, however, has not proscribed the Brotherhood, despite a government-commissioned review in 2014 concluding that its ideology runs contrary to British values. As a result, federal funding for new students wishing to study in the UK will now be restricted, though privately funded students will still be allowed to enrol.

The move has already had a measurable impact. UAE student visas issued for study in the UK fell to 213 in the year ending September 2025 — a 27 per cent decline from the previous year and a 55 per cent drop compared with 2022. This marks a significant shift, as the UK was previously the most popular destination for Emirati students, with more than 8,500 studying at British universities during the 2023–24 academic year.

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UAE government scholarships, managed by the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs, typically cover tuition fees, living expenses, travel and health insurance for high-achieving students in priority disciplines. With funding now being redirected to other countries, future enrolment numbers in the UK are expected to fall sharply.

Downing Street said on Friday, January 9, 2026, that extremism has no place in British society and stressed that the UK has strong laws to counter terrorism and hate. The government added that it would continue working with international partners to ensure public safety.

The decision is also being viewed in the context of broader bilateral strains between London and Abu Dhabi, including disagreements over media ownership, regional geopolitics and differing approaches to Islamist movements. While both governments continue to publicly describe relations as strong, the scholarship curbs suggest growing underlying friction. The UAE, however, declined to comment on the decision, maintaining that relations between the two countries remain strong.

[VP]

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