Liwa College

What Liwa College does

Liwa University (formerly Liwa College) is a private, for-profit higher education institution headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a secondary campus in Al Ain. Founded in 1993 and rebranded as Liwa University in 2025, it is licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) and holds active accreditation from the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), delivering 37 accredited programs across five colleges: Business, Media and Public Relations, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Computing, and a General Education Department. Programs are offered at bachelor's, master's, and diploma levels, with recent additions including a BSc in Data Science and AI Engineering and a Master in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Delivery is blended (face-to-face plus digital) in Arabic and English across its two campuses.

The university operates a portfolio of student-facing digital platforms — a Student Information System (SIS) for registration, a Learning Management System (LMS), an E-Services Portal, a Library Portal, and an LU Connect community platform — supporting course registration, academic management, and student engagement. It serves high school graduates, transfer students, working professionals seeking graduate credentials, and international students; the student body represents 30 nationalities, with a stated 14,000+ alumni network. Notable external relationships include the Nafis government scholarship program (100% scholarships for UAE citizens in Medical and Health Sciences) and a strategic partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) for talent and research development.

The business model is tuition-driven, supplemented by government scholarship funding (Nafis) for designated programs and ancillary professional services delivered through the E-Services platform. Tuition pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market combines a traditional admissions process (call center, email, dedicated admissions pages) with content marketing across a website, social channels, newsletter, and SEO-optimized program finder pages, and is reinforced by an alumni-driven referral network. The institution's competitive positioning rests on regulatory licensing, three decades of brand equity in Abu Dhabi, alignment with national workforce priorities, and a diversified program portfolio spanning business, health sciences, media, and emerging AI/data fields.

Name

Liwa College

Legal name

Liwa University

Website

https://lc.ac.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Liwa University (formerly Liwa College) is a private UAE higher education institution, licensed by MOHESR and CAA-accredited, delivering 37 bachelor's, master's, and diploma programs across Business, Media, Medical/Health Sciences, and Engineering/Computing from campuses in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges (EDAHADAB)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Accredited university programs
• Undergraduate education
• Graduate education
• Health sciences education

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue generated from tuition fees charged to domestic and international students across undergraduate, graduate, and diploma programs. Programs vary in credit hours (123-175 credits) affecting total tuition.
2. Government Scholarships: 100% scholarships for citizens in Medical and Health Sciences programs through Nafis initiative, indicating government funding relationships.
3. Professional Services: E-Services platform providing additional educational services to students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Liwa University (formerly Liwa College) is a private higher education institution that delivers 37 accredited undergraduate, graduate, and diploma programs across five colleges: Business, Media and Public Relations, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Computing, and a General Education Department. Programs are offered on campuses in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain via blended and face-to-face delivery, supported by student-facing digital platforms (SIS, LMS, Library Portal, E-Services, LU Connect) and government scholarship partnerships.

Product overview

Liwa University is a higher education institution offering a unified portfolio of academic programs across five colleges (Business, Media and Public Relations, Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Computing, plus a General Education Department) with 37 accredited programs at bachelor's, master's, and diploma levels. The institution operates student-facing digital platforms including a Student Information System (SIS) for course registration, a Library Portal, a Learning Management System (LMS), an E-Services Portal, and LU Connect for student networking. Programs are delivered in blended or face-to-face modes in Arabic or English across campuses in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College of Business
• College of Media and Public Relations
• College of Medical and Health Sciences Academic college offering health sciences programs including Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences in Health Information Management; Bachelor of Science in Emergency Medical Care, Medical Diagnostic Imaging, Medical Laboratory, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, and Respiratory Care; plus diplomas in Emergency Medical Care, Medical Laboratory, and Health Management and Informatics. Targeted at students pursuing healthcare careers, with 100% Nafis scholarships available for UAE citizens.
• College of Engineering and Computing Academic college offering engineering and technology programs including Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering; Bachelor of Information Technology with AI, General, and Networks and Cloud Computing concentrations; plus a Master in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Targeted at students pursuing engineering and computing careers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Excellent job placement rate
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2026Strategic partnership to develop talent, advance market research, and support innovation. This is a significant government partnership aligning academic programs with economic development needs of Abu Dhabi.
• NafiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Nafis to enhance the competitiveness of Emirati professionals. Provides 100% scholarships for citizens in Medical and Health Sciences programs, supporting national talent development objectives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• University of Sharjah: Large private UAE university offering a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and graduate programs including Medicine, Engineering, Business, and Computing. Comparable in private UAE university positioning and program breadth.
• American University of Sharjah (AUS): Premier private UAE university modeled on American liberal arts education, offering diverse undergraduate and graduate programs. Comparable as a private UAE university competing for international and domestic students.
• Al Ain University: Private university headquartered in Al Ain with a second Abu Dhabi campus, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in Business, Engineering, Law, Pharmacy, and IT. Directly competes with Liwa in both Al Ain and Abu Dhabi markets.
• Ajman University: Private university in the UAE offering programs across Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, and Computing at undergraduate and graduate levels. Comparable as a private non-profit university serving a similar regional student base.
• Abu Dhabi University: Private multi-campus university in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain offering bachelor's, master's, and diploma programs across similar disciplines (Business, Engineering, Health Sciences). Closely comparable as a private UAE university serving the same geographic market with similar program breadth.

Broad incumbents

• Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT): Largest government higher education institution in the UAE with 16 campuses offering applied bachelor's and diploma programs. Comparable in diploma and applied degree focus but operates at significantly greater scale under federal government backing.
• Khalifa University: UAE's top-ranked research-intensive university focused on Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Competes for top-tier STEM students and faculty, particularly in Engineering and Computing where Liwa also operates programs.
• Zayed University: Government-funded national university with campuses in Abu Dhabi and Dubai offering programs across Business, Communications, Health Sciences, and Engineering. Competes with Liwa for Emirati students and government scholarship allocations.
• United Arab Emirates University (UAEU): Flagship national research university in Al Ain offering comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs. Directly competes in the Al Ain market and dominates UAE government scholarship allocations in many disciplines.

Emerging players

• Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi: Branch campus of a French institution offering bilingual programs in Business, Law, and Arts in Abu Dhabi. Competes for international students seeking globally branded credentials in the same Abu Dhabi market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LiwaUniversity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LiwaUniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiwaUniversity.uae
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/liwa-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/liwa.university

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Liwa College