Khalifa University

Khalifa University is a public university in Abu Dhabi, UAE. There are three campuses of KU, the main campus and two satellite campuses in Sas Al Nakhal and Masdar City. Khalifa University has received 5 stars in the QS rating system.

The total no. of students at this university is 4,000+. Over 180 nationalities are represented by students at Khalifa University. The courses at this university are taught in English as well as Arabic. In the context of admissions, Khalifa University acceptance rate is around 9%. This means that the university is very competitve. Khalifa University is a leading university in the UAE, with 90 of its faculty members acknowledged among world's Top 2% most cited scientists in Stanford University's 2023 listing. It is a top ranked university in the UAE, #3 in the Arab region (QS rankings 2026) and among Top 250 in the world.

• Globally accredited programs - Khalifa Uni is fully licensed and all its programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE Ministry of Education
• Safest city - This university is located in Abu Dhabi. It is the largest emirate in the UAE and remains the world's safest city for 8th consecutive year in 2024
• Personalized guidance - Students can experience personalized guidance and a supportive learning environment at Khalifa Uni. 15 faculty members of this university is among the Top 0.05% of the world , as per ScholarGPS. The student-to-faculty ratio at Khalifa Uni is 11:6.
• Graduate employability - Khalifa Univ has great employment record with a placement rate of 94% for the graduates. Also, in the Graduate employability rankings by Times Higher Education rankings 2026, KU ranks at #191 in 2026.

Facts about Khalifa University

KU maintains academic and researcg partnerships with many international associations such as Georgia Institute of Technology, KAIST, and the Texas A&M University Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute. There are three research institutes of KU. A few facts about Khalifa Uni are given below-

• In 2027 QS rankings, Khalifa University has been ranked at #147 out of 1500+ universities. As per the QS rankings, this is a leading university in the UAE for 9 consecutive years now. The major change in the university's ranking was due to its performance in research impact. This university has been ranked at #87 worldwide in citations per faculty. 
• The admission portal for Fall 2026 admission to Khalifa University is now closed. The UG applications for international students may open from Nov 2026. 

Khalifa University is a public university in Abu Dhabi, UAE. There are three campuses of KU, the main campus and two satellite campuses in Sas Al Nakhal and Masdar City. Khalifa University has received 5 stars in the QS rating system.

The total no. of students at this university is 4,000+. Over 180 nationalities are represented by students at Khalifa University. The courses at this university are taught in English as well as Arabic. In the context of admissions, Khalifa University acceptance rate is around 9%. This means that the university is very competitve. Khalifa University is a leading university in the UAE, with 90 of its faculty members acknowledged among world's Top 2% most cited scientists in Stanford University's 2023 listing. It is a top ranked university in the UAE, #3 in the Arab region (QS rankings 2026) and among Top 250 in the world.

• Globally accredited programs - Khalifa Uni is fully licensed and all its programs are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE Ministry of Education
• Safest city - This university is located in Abu Dhabi. It is the largest emirate in the UAE and remains the world's safest city for 8th consecutive year in 2024
• Personalized guidance - Students can experience personalized guidance and a supportive learning environment at Khalifa Uni. 15 faculty members of this university is among the Top 0.05% of the world , as per ScholarGPS. The student-to-faculty ratio at Khalifa Uni is 11:6.
• Graduate employability - Khalifa Univ has great employment record with a placement rate of 94% for the graduates. Also, in the Graduate employability rankings by Times Higher Education rankings 2026, KU ranks at #191 in 2026.

Facts about Khalifa University

KU maintains academic and researcg partnerships with many international associations such as Georgia Institute of Technology, KAIST, and the Texas A&M University Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute. There are three research institutes of KU. A few facts about Khalifa Uni are given below-

Merit-based scholarships are offered by KU for postgraduate students. These awards of Khalifa Uni are based on academic achievement, study field, research potential, and university's goals. For UG studens too, merit based scholarships are offered by KU. Separate application is not required for the UG scholarships. Details for Khalifa University UG scholarships are given below-

Note: The textbooks for students who will avail UG scholarships will be provided by Khalifa University.

Khalifa University offers BSc and MSc courses. There are 3 colleges at Khalifa University, Engineering & Physical Sciences, Computing & Mathematical Sciences, and Medicine & Health Sciences. Study areas at the Master's level are Computational Data Science, Digital Health, Computer Science, Public Health, Applied Mathematics, etc. Whereas, some of the UG study areas at Khalifa Uni are Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, etc.

Khalifa University Popular Courses

Some of the frequently picked courses of Khalifa University are-

• MSc in Petroleum Engineering
• MSc in Digital Health
• Master of Public Health
• BTech

A no. of career services are offered by KU. This include checking KU internship portal to find internship opprtunities. The university also conducts career workshops. It launched a career development course, which aims to develop a gap between education and employment. A few career services offered by Khalifa Uni are-

• Personalized guidance on CV writing, interview skills, trends of job market, etc.
• Career assessments
• Access to job portal

Khalifa University Placement Rate

The placement rate of Khalifa University is around 94%. The organizations where the graduates of this university are ADNOC Group, ENEC Operations, e&, Technology Innovation Institute, etc. Students at KU can apply for internships. But, the students must be in good academic standing to opt for internship. Check Part Time Work Options in UAE.

• As per Glassdoor.com, after graduating from KU, the graduate student salary in Abu Dhabi is around AED 8k per month (Around INR 2 L).

For BSc courses, Khalifa University fees is AED 81,250 (Around INR 21 L). Whereas for MSc courses of KU, the tuition fee is AED 150,000 (Around 39 L) and for PhD courses, the tuition fees is AED 95,000 - AED 100,000 (Around INR 25 L - INR 26 L).

Living Expenses at Khalifa University

The housing cost at KU would range as per the room type. For UG students, the housing cost would be around AED 10,000 - AED 20,000 for Spring and Fall terms (Around INR 2.5 L - 5.18 L) for PG students, it would be around AED 3,000 (Around INR 78k).

• The transportation fees is around AED 2,000 per semester (Around INR 52k)

• In 2027 QS rankings, Khalifa University has been ranked at #147 out of 1500+ universities. As per the QS rankings, this is a leading university in the UAE for 9 consecutive years now. The major change in the university's ranking was due to its performance in research impact. This university has been ranked at #87 worldwide in citations per faculty. 
• The admission portal for Fall 2026 admission to Khalifa University is now closed. The UG applications for international students may open from Nov 2026. 

Indian students who want to take part in Khalifa University admissions can apply online through the direct university portal. There is no application fee to apply for UG courses. But, for PG courses, the students have to pay an application fee of AED 200 (Around INR 5.1k). After the submission of the UG application, the students may have to sit for an admission test. Invitations for this test are sent 10 days before the test.

Students can submit respective admission applications via the official Khalifa University online application portal.

• PG: Indian students who want to take admission to Khalifa University must have completed a Bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.0. TOEFL score of 91 / IELTS score of 6.5 is required. A GRE test score with minimum 150 in Quantiative score is also required
• UG: For admission to the UG courses, the students must have completed High school education with 80% minimum. The studens must complete Mathematics as a mandatory subject along wih one Science subject (Physics, Chemistry, or Biology).

KU Application Deadliines 2026

The application deadlines for the UG courses of Khalifa Uni are-

Documents required to apply to Khalifa University

Students who want to take admission to Khalifa Uni UG courses have to appear for personal interview. They are required to submit a video recording test. Here are some of the documents that Indian students have to submit while applying to Khalifa University-

• High school or Bachelor's degree transcripts
• CV
• IELTS / TOEFL certificates
• Copy of passport
• GRE test score
• Statement of Purpose

As per Shiksha Popularity Rankings 2026, Khalifa University is ranked at #1 in the UAE. Whereas, in the world rankings, Khalifa University ranks at #252 in 2026. Subject rankings of the Khalifa University are #1 for MS, #1 for Engineering, #3 for Science, #5 for Medicine & Health courses.

By Other Ranking Bodies

In the 2027 QS rankings, Khalifa University ranking is #147. It was placed at #177 in 2026 QS rankings. In other global rankings, Khalifa Uni ranks at #201-250 in Times Higher Education world rankings for 2026. Whereas, as per U.S. News rankings globally, this university ranks at #340 in 2026.

The main campus of Khalifa University is in Abu Dhabi. It covers an area over 135,000 sq. meters and houses 105 labs and 72 classrooms. It also has one library, a student hub with dining room, and many cafes. There are two satellite campuses of this university in Masdar City and Sas Al Nakhl.

Campus Life

There are 30+ student clubs at KU. A few of the student clubs at this university are Theater Club, Chess Club, Life Sciences Club, Photograph Club, Debating Club, Art & Music club, etc. Also, the male and female sports teams of KU compete in the Abu Dhabi Inter-University Sports League. The university also offers recreational programs

• Khalifa University separate residences for male and female students. The housing of KU include single and double shared furnished apartment style buildings
• UG male students can reside in Al Rawada Residences where as UG female students can reside in KU residence halls
• PG male students of KU can reside in Al Rawada Residences and Masdar City Residences. Whereas female PG students can reside in Masdar City Residences