Reimagining Higher Education Governance through Federal Legislation
The UAE has introduced a new federal law governing higher education and scientific research, marking a major step towards improving the quality, oversight, and competitiveness of the country’s education sector.
Issued on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, the law introduces a unified legal framework for higher education institutions and technical and vocational education and training institutions across the UAE, including those operating in free zones. It is designed to ensure stronger governance, clear regulation, and better alignment between academic outcomes and labor market needs.
The legislation focuses on enhancing educational quality while supporting lifelong learning and innovation. It requires higher education institutions to operate within national standards for licensing, classification, programme accreditation, and quality assurance, overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
Under the new rules, no higher education institute may be established or operate, and no academic program may be promoted or offered, without official institutional licensure and program accreditation from the ministry. This applies to all forms of education, including traditional, online, and blended learning models.
Institutions offering e-learning or blended programs must meet approved national quality standards and obtain independent accreditation to ensure effective learning outcomes. The law also places emphasis on modern teaching methods, data protection, intellectual property rights, and meaningful engagement between students and faculty.
The law also introduces periodic classification and evaluation of higher education institutions, with the results to be published, thereby increasing transparency and encouraging competition and continuous improvement across the sector.
Special regulatory provisions apply to institutions operating in free zones, which will be required to obtain local authorization as well as federal licensure and program accreditation, with clear coordination mechanisms between local authorities and the ministry.
This reform follows the recent issuance of a Federal Decree law on the National Education Curriculum for public and private schools, reflecting the UAE’s broader efforts to modernise its education system through comprehensive and forward-looking legislation.
