Officials in Abu Dhabi told the Financial Times and the Times that federal funding for Emirati citizens hoping to enrol in Britain has been curtailed amid fears that some universities are being radicalised by Islamist groups.
The United Arab Emirates has limited state-funded scholarships for students planning to study at UK universities, citing concerns about Islamist influence on campuses.
Officials in Abu Dhabi told the Financial Times and the Times that federal funding for Emirati citizens hoping to enrol in Britain has been curtailed amid fears that some universities are being radicalised by Islamist groups.
Sources familiar with the matter said the move reflects tensions over Britain’s refusal to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood and worries about its influence. The Brotherhood is designated a terrorist organisation by the UAE, which has long urged European countries, including the UK, to take similar action.
The UAE is not imposing a total ban on studying in Britain. Wealthier families can still send children at their own expense, while significant funding continues for students pursuing degrees in other countries.
The government has previously detained and jailed dozens of suspected Brotherhood members and backed Egypt’s military when it removed president Mohammed Morsi, a member of the group, from office in 2013.
In Britain, lobbying by the UAE prompted an inquiry under then prime minister David Cameron in 2014. Sir John Jenkins, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia and head of the review, concluded the group’s beliefs were opposed to British values but that there was insufficient evidence to ban it.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he would proscribe the Brotherhood if elected prime minister.
Concerns have also been raised in Britain that the Brotherhood has infiltrated university campuses, with student organisations accused of inviting Islamist speakers whose lectures are seen as flirting with extremism.
The UAE’s decision could significantly reduce the number of students studying in the UK, which doubled between 2017 and 2024 to 8,500. The largest populations are at the University of Central Lancashire, the University of Manchester, the University of Leeds, King’s College London and University College London.
Data for the year ending September 2025 show 213 UAE students were granted visas to study in the UK, a 27 per cent fall from the previous year and a 55 per cent decline from 2022.
One Middle East expert told the Times that the Emiratis were “obsessed” with the Brotherhood and called it their “bogeyman”, adding that it was more of an ideology than a structured organisation.
The source said, “It’s a way of threatening young students to behave, saying in essence, whatever you do, don’t join the Muslim Brotherhood if you’re in the UK. It’s like a warning shot to students to dabble at their peril."