The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which provides its high-achieving students generous grants to study abroad, has been restricting admissions to British universities over fears that campuses are being radicalised by an extremist Islamist group, a UK media report said on Friday (January 9, 2026). “They (the UAE) complain to the UK about the Muslim Brotherhood to cause a diplomatic stink until they get what they want. I don’t believe our universities are infested with the Muslim Brotherhood, it’s all about positioning,” the expert stated. According to The Times, the Emiratis are not imposing a blanket ban, and privately funded students will be able to enrol at U.K. universities. The number of UAE students enrolled at U.K. universities doubled to 8,500 between 2017 and 2024, a rise likely to be impacted by this decision.

Source: The Hindu January 09, 2026 15:58 UTC