Liwa University Earns QS Five-Star Rating: What It Means for Indian Students Considering the UAE

The UAE sits three hours away by flight, has over 3.5 million Indians already living and working there, and charges no income tax on graduate earnings. 

Liwa University, based in Abu Dhabi, has just been awarded a five-star rating by QS, one of the most recognized university ranking bodies in the world. It is not a minor distinction. And for Indian students who have not seriously considered the UAE as a study destination, it is a good moment to look more carefully at what is actually on offer here.

What a QS Five-Star Rating Is and Why It Is Different from a Ranking

Many students confuse the QS Stars rating with the QS World University Rankings. They are two separate things, and that distinction matters here.

The QS World University Rankings places universities in a numbered list based on research output, academic reputation, and employer surveys. The QS Stars system is different. It evaluates institutions across specific qualitative categories and awards stars in each one independently. A five-star overall rating means the university performed at the highest assessed level across everything QS examined.

For Liwa University, those categories were:

• Teaching: Quality of instruction, student-to-faculty ratio, and how faculty are developed professionally
• Academic staff development: How the institution invests in developing its teaching faculty 
• Graduate employability: How consistently graduates convert their degree into jobs
• Facilities: Campus infrastructure, labs, libraries, and the overall learning environment
• Global Engagement: Diversity of the student body and depth of global academic partnerships
• Good governance: Institutional leadership, transparency, and academic integrity
• Diversity, equality, and inclusion: How the university supports students from different backgrounds and nationalities
• Business and management studies: A specialist category assessed separately, reflecting the strength of that college

Liwa University did not just clear the overall bar. It earned five-star ratings across multiple individual categories, with teaching flagged specifically as a standout by QS evaluators. 

The Detail Most People Writing About This Miss

Liwa University only became a university in April 2025.

For over 30 years before that, it operated as Liwa College, one of Abu Dhabi's established private higher education institutions. In April 2025, the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research formally granted it full university status, recognizing its academic maturity, program diversity, and quality standards.

The QS five-star rating followed within months of that transition.

That timeline is worth sitting with. This is not a long-established institution that has been accumulating credentials for decades. It is an institution that stepped up to university status and earned a global quality rating almost immediately. 

Four Colleges, Thirty Programmes, Two Campuses

Liwa University runs two campuses, one in Abu Dhabi and one in Al Ain, with 30 undergraduate and postgraduate programs spread across four colleges. 

College of Business

This is the flagship college and the most internationally accredited of the four.

• Programmes include Business Administration, Financial Sciences, Human Resource Management, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and Marketing
• Internationally accredited by ACBSP (USA)
• For Indian students targeting careers in the UAE's finance, trade, or logistics sectors, this is a genuinely well-credentialed business school by regional standards

College of Engineering and Computing

• Engineering and computing programmes designed in direct collaboration with UAE industry partners
• The curriculum is applied and practical, not purely academic, which aligns with how engineering hiring works in the UAE job market

College of Media and Public Relations

• Accredited by AQAS, Germany
• One of the few media programmes in the UAE offering a dedicated public relations and media curriculum within the UAE's national accreditation framework 

College of Medical and Health Sciences

• Accredited by AHPGS, Germany 
• Covers Health Information Management and allied health programmes
• All programmes sit within the national accreditation framework of the UAE's Commission for Academic Accreditation

Note: Liwa University offers blended learning, evening classes, and flexible scheduling as standard, an advantage for Indian students managing part-time work or balancing family proximity during their studies. 

What You Actually Pay

Tuition at Liwa University is calculated per credit hour, which is how most UAE universities structure their fees.

• Undergraduate programmes: AED 1,175 to AED 1,660 per credit hour, working out to approximately AED 37,823 to AED 55,195 per year, which is roughly Rs.9.80 lakh to Rs.14.30 lakh annually
• Postgraduate programmes: Approximately AED 37,500 per year, roughly Rs.9.71 lakh annually

Currency note: 1 AED = ₹25.90 as of May 7, 2026. Always verify the current rate before making financial decisions. 

Put that alongside a comparable degree in the UK, Australia, or Canada, and the difference is significant. You are looking at roughly half the annual cost or less, in a country where your post-graduation earnings are not taxed.

Scholarships that are actually available:

• Chairman's Scholarship for high-performing applicants
• University Scholarships tied to Grade 12 scores
• Merit-based and need-based financial aid
• Students with strong Grade 12 averages have received up to 50 percent off tuition, based on verified student accounts

The Honest Case for the UAE as a Study Destination

The QS rating is the news. But the UAE's appeal to Indian students goes beyond any single university's credentials.

• Three hours from home: A flight from Mumbai, Delhi, or Bangalore to Abu Dhabi takes roughly three hours. Visiting family is not a once-a-year event. That matters more than most students admit when they are planning
• 3.5 million Indians already there: The UAE has the largest Indian diaspora of any country in the world. The cultural familiarity, the food, the festivals, the community networks, none of that needs to be built from scratch
• No income tax: Every dirham you earn after graduating stays with you. That changes the post-graduation financial calculation in a way that is hard to replicate in the UK or Australia
• Growing residency pathways: The UAE Golden Visa program is increasingly accessible for graduates and skilled professionals. It is not as formalised as Canada's PR system, but it is real and expanding
• English-medium education and work: Liwa University teaches in English, and the UAE's professional sector operates largely in English. No language barrier beyond what you already have.

Is Liwa University the Right Fit for You?

It is worth being direct here, because Liwa University is not the right choice for every Indian student.

It makes strong sense if:

• Your field is Business, Engineering, Computing, Media, or Health Sciences
• Staying close to India geographically is a priority for you or your family
• You want a degree from an internationally accredited institution at a cost significantly below Western alternatives
• Building a career in the UAE or the broader Gulf region is part of your plan

It is probably not the right fit if:

• Your goal is a research-intensive programme or a PhD
• You need a university that appears on the QS World University Rankings list, which Liwa does not yet
• Your post-graduation plan requires a Western work permit or PR pathway

How to Apply for the 2026 Intake

The 2026 admissions cycle at Liwa University is currently open. Applications go directly through the university.

What you need to apply:

• Attested high school certificate (for UG applicants) or bachelor's degree (for postgraduate applicants)
• Official academic transcripts
• Valid passport copy, and UAE residence visa copy if you are already in the country
• English proficiency certificate: IELTS or TOEFL scores are required for most programmes
• Personal statement and two to three letters of recommendation for postgraduate applicants

You can apply online at lu.ac.ae or walk in to the Abu Dhabi or Al Ain campus directly.

Before You Decide

A QS five-star rating means Liwa University has cleared a real quality threshold. Whether it is the right university for your specific profile, your field, your budget, and what you want your career to look like in five years is a separate question.

Book a free session with a Leap Scholar counselor to get an honest read on whether Liwa University fits where you are and where you are headed and how it stacks up against other options at a similar cost.

Sources: Gulf News — Liwa University QS Five-Star Rating | Khaleej Times — Liwa University 2026 Admissions | TopUniversities — Liwa University Profile | Zawya — Liwa College to Liwa University Transition | Liwa University Official Website | Liwa University, Fees and Payment