The Hamdan bin Mohammed Academic Scholarship Programme pays for Emirati students from Dubai to study a bachelor’s degree at leading universities. It is run by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Applications for the third cohort, covering the 2026 to 2027 academic year, opened on 23 March 2026 and closed on 30 June 2026.
- Places: 100 fully funded scholarships a year.
- Budget: AED 1.1 billion.
- Who: Emirati graduates of public or private schools who hold a Dubai family book.
- Where to apply: the “Emirati” section of the Dubai Now app.
Who can apply
For the third cohort, an applicant had to meet all of these conditions:
- Be an Emirati who finished high school in 2023 to 2024, 2024 to 2025 or 2025 to 2026, as an outstanding graduate of a public or private school in any curriculum.
- Hold a Dubai family book.
- Not have received any other scholarship offer.
- Hold a conditional or unconditional offer from an eligible university and programme that meets the scholarship criteria.
- Commit to studying full time in the host country.
What it funds
The scholarship covers bachelor’s degrees in fields that add strategic value to Dubai’s key sectors. The fields named for the third cohort are computer science, artificial intelligence, digital technologies, business and finance, medicine, law and social sciences.
Background
The programme was launched in 2024 on the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It sits within the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), the Dubai Social Agenda 33 and the Education 33 strategy. Its aim is to give Emirati students access to leading global universities and prepare them for leadership roles in Dubai. About 70% of current recipients are enrolled at universities ranked in the global top 100.
How to apply for a future cohort
Each cohort has its own window, so check the KHDA website and the Dubai Now app for the next dates. In the meantime, a student can prepare by keeping grades high, confirming the family book is in order and applying to universities and programmes that fit the funded fields. Eligibility rules can change between cohorts, so confirm the current list before applying.
