How to Verify UAE Degrees and Academic Credentials

Key takeaway

The Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) at caa.ae is the federal authority for verifying UAE university licenses and program accreditation. Dubai institutions are also licensed by KHDA (khda.gov.ae); Abu Dhabi institutions by ADEK (adek.gov.ae). The UAE joined the Hague Apostille Convention in February 2021 — apostilles are issued by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). For international credentials used in UAE employment, the standard attestation chain is: home country apostille → UAE embassy attestation → UAE MOFA attestation. UAE degrees used abroad require UAE MOFA apostille.

UAE's higher education structure

The UAE has a federated education governance structure. The federal Ministry of Education and the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) oversee higher education at the national level. At the emirate level, Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) licenses institutions in Dubai, and the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) covers Abu Dhabi.

UAE federal universities include the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU, the flagship), Zayed University (originally women-only, now co-educational), and Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT, 16 campuses). The UAE also hosts numerous branch campuses of international universities: New York University Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Middlesex University Dubai, among others. Branch campuses must be licensed by CAA and/or the relevant emirate regulator.

The Qualifications Framework Emirates (QFEmirates) aligns UAE credentials to international frameworks. A UAE bachelor's degree typically sits at Level 7 of QFEmirates. Branch campus degrees are typically conferred by the parent institution (e.g., a degree from NYU Abu Dhabi is conferred by NYU) — verify the degree-granting institution carefully.

The primary verification tool: CAA

The Commission for Academic Accreditation (caa.ae) maintains the authoritative list of licensed higher education institutions in the UAE. CAA's site allows you to:

Search for institutions by name or emirate
Verify that a specific institution is licensed and currently operating
Check program-level accreditation (CAA accredits specific programs, not just institutions)
Identify institutions whose licenses have expired or been revoked

For Dubai-specific institutions, cross-reference with KHDA's Licensed Education Providers list at khda.gov.ae. For Abu Dhabi institutions, check ADEK's licensed schools and universities at adek.gov.ae. A legitimate UAE institution should appear on both the CAA list and the relevant emirate regulator's list.

Step-by-step verification

Step 1 — Search VerifyED

Start at VerifyED. Enter the institution name. VerifyED covers 912,000 institutions worldwide including UAE institutions and flags known diploma mills targeting the GCC market.

Step 2 — Verify in CAA's licensed institutions list

Go to caa.ae and confirm the institution is licensed. Note whether the institution is under CAA federal licensing or emirate-level licensing (KHDA/ADEK). For branch campuses, confirm the parent institution and the degree-granting body — the UAE campus may only be authorized for specific programs.

Step 3 — Contact the institution or MoHRE

For employment in the UAE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) requires credential authentication for professional licensing in regulated fields (engineering, healthcare, education, law). Contact the institution's Registrar to obtain an official degree certificate suitable for attestation. For UAEU, Zayed University, and HCT, contact the institutions directly for enrollment verification.

Step 4 — UAE MOFA apostille for documents going abroad

For UAE degrees used outside the UAE, obtain a UAE MOFA apostille. Since the UAE joined the Hague Apostille Convention on 22 February 2021, apostilles replace the prior attestation chain for member countries. Submit your original degree certificate and official transcript through UAE MOFA's document authentication service (available online at mofaic.gov.ae). Note: pre-2021 documents may still require the old chain.

Step 5 — International credential evaluation

For US employers and academic institutions, UAE credentials should be evaluated by a NACES member (WES, ECE, IERF). WES references CAA's accreditation records and QFEmirates levels. For branch campus degrees (e.g., NYU Abu Dhabi), WES evaluates based on the parent US institution's accreditation. Provide official transcripts from both the UAE campus and the parent institution if required.

Common fraud patterns

Unlicensed "Dubai" or "Abu Dhabi" institutions

The UAE's reputation as an international business hub has attracted diploma mills that claim to be "licensed in Dubai" or "based in UAE Free Zones." Free Zone registration is a commercial registration — it does not constitute CAA or KHDA educational licensing. If an institution is not on CAA's or KHDA's licensed institution list, it is not authorized to award degrees in the UAE regardless of its commercial registration.

Branch campus scope confusion

Some UAE branch campuses are licensed for a specific subset of programs. A candidate who claims a degree from a branch campus in a program not offered there may have fabricated the degree. Always confirm through CAA's program-level accreditation records that the claimed program was authorized at that campus.

Pre-2021 attestation chain gaps

For UAE degrees awarded before the 2021 Apostille Convention accession, authentication followed a multi-step chain: university attestation → UAE Ministry of Education attestation → UAE MOFA attestation → destination country embassy. Some candidates present partially authenticated documents (missing steps). Verify the complete chain is present on documents predating 2021.

UAEU name lookalikes

The "United Arab Emirates University" (UAEU) is the UAE's federal flagship. Names like "Emirates University," "UAE National University," or "University of the Emirates" are not the same institution. Verify the exact legal name of the institution against CAA's licensed institution list.

Attestation for employment in the UAE

Foreign credentials used for employment in the UAE (especially in regulated professions like medicine, engineering, nursing, and teaching) must go through an attestation chain: home country attestation (apostille or consular legalization depending on the home country) → UAE embassy in the home country → UAE MOFA attestation. This applies to credentials from any country, not just non-Apostille countries.

For healthcare professionals, the UAE's Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD/DOH) and Dubai Health Authority (DHA) require credential verification through their own licensing portals in addition to MOFA attestation. Engineering credentials for UAE professional licensing go through the Society of Engineers UAE.

Quick reference

Federal accreditation authority CAA (caa.ae)

Dubai licensing KHDA (khda.gov.ae)

Abu Dhabi licensing ADEK (adek.gov.ae)

Qualifications framework QFEmirates (Levels 1–10)

Apostille Convention member? Yes — since February 2021

Apostille / authentication issuer UAE MOFA (mofaic.gov.ae)

US credential evaluation WES, ECE, or other NACES members

Diploma mill screening VerifyED

Verify any UAE institution instantly

912,000 institutions worldwide. 2,592 diploma mills flagged. Free to search.

Search VerifyED →