Discover the top 100 universities worldwide whose graduates qualify for the UAE’s coveted 10-year Golden Visa
The UAE Golden Visa program has emerged as a highly attractive opportunity for global talents, offering a decade-long residency without the need for a local sponsor, along with family sponsorship rights and professional freedom in a global business hub.
Since a key policy update in April 2022, eligibility expanded to include graduates from the world’s top 100 universities based on the QS World University Rankings, making this visa a magnet for high-achieving graduates from cities like Boston, Beijing, Bengaluru, and Berlin, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
UAE’s Golden Visa is now open to graduates from top 100 universities worldwide, outstanding UAE university alumni, and high-performing UAE students, boosting the country’s knowledge economy goals.
This move aligns with the UAE’s Centennial 2071 vision to transform from an oil-based economy into a knowledge-driven one, focusing on science, technology, research, and innovation. Applicants are assessed on academic excellence, graduation year, and university ranking, reflecting a merit-based, skills-first visa regime replacing the traditional sponsorship model.
Leigh Kamolins, Director of Analytics at QS, noted that the policy highlights the global importance of university rankings for career mobility and economic growth. The Golden Visa also allows holders to sponsor family members, encouraging longer-term settlement and professional growth within the UAE.
The list of eligible universities includes world-renowned institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Oxford, Stanford University, Harvard University, National University of Singapore (NUS), University of Tokyo, London School of Economics (LSE), and many more across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Complete list includes:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Oxford, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Imperial College London, University of London, ETH Zurich, University of Chicago, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), University of Pennsylvania, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Yale University, University of Edinburgh, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Cornell University, University of Hong Kong, University of Michigan, University of Tokyo, Johns Hopkins University, University of Toronto, Australian National University, McGill University, University of Manchester, Northwestern University, Fudan University, University of California Berkeley, Kyoto University, HKUST, King’s College London, Seoul National University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, Chinese University of Hong Kong, UCLA, KAIST, New York University, University of New South Wales, PSL Research University, Zhejiang University, University of British Columbia, University of Queensland, UC San Diego, LSE, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, City University of Hong Kong, University of Amsterdam, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Delft University of Technology, Monash University, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Brown University, University of Warwick, University of Bristol, Heidelberg University, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Universiti Malaya, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Texas at Austin, National Taiwan University, Universidad de Buenos Aires, KU Leuven, University of Zurich, Sorbonne University, University of Glasgow, Korea University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Osaka University, University of Southampton, Lomonosov Moscow State University, University of Copenhagen, Yonsei University, POSTECH, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Tohoku University, Durham University, University of Washington, University of Auckland, Lund University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), University of Birmingham, University of St Andrews, University of Leeds, University of Western Australia, Rice University, University of Sheffield, Pennsylvania State University, Sungkyunkwan University, University of Science and Technology of China, Technical University of Denmark, University of North Carolina.
