Best Student Discounts in the UAE

Student discounts in the UAE give enrolled students reduced prices on transport, software, food, fashion, and entertainment, through programs from brands like Emirates, Adobe, Samsung, and the RTA.

Whether you just landed in Dubai for university or you’re a local student trying to stretch your allowance a little further, you can sign up for these to keep up with the ever-rising inflation rates. With student discount programs across multiple categories like food, tech, software, transport, and fashion, you could be saving thousands of dirhams a year.

That’s why we have put together this guide for some of the best student discounts in the UAE in 2026, which can help you save money while shopping online or offline.

Best Student Discounts in the UAE (2026) – Quick Overview 

Not sure where to start? Here’s a snapshot of the best student deals available in the UAE right now, across the most popular categories.

Category	Brand/Program	Discount	How to Redeem
Transport	RTA Student NOL Card	50% off all public transit	Emirates ID + enrollment letter at RTA
Flights	Emirates	Up to 15% off + extra baggage	Use code STUDENT at booking; show student ID at check-in
Tech	Samsung	Up to 30% off	Register at samsung.com/ae with your university email
Tech & Electronics	Sharaf DG	Student discount in-store & online	Show student ID + Emirates ID in-store, or fill the verification form online
Software	Adobe Creative Cloud	Up to 71% off the first year	Verify with your university email at adobe.com/education
Software	Autodesk	Free for 1 year	Apply at autodesk.com/education (must be 13+)
Food Delivery	Deliveroo	Free delivery via the Plus Silver plan	Verify via UNiDAYS or Student Beans
Fashion	ASOS	10% off every order	Register on the ASOS student page or via UNiDAYS / Student Beans
Entertainment	Roxy Cinemas	AED 59 movie + popcorn + drink	Show a valid student ID; weekdays before 6 PM
Culture	Louvre Abu Dhabi	AED 120 yearly unlimited pass	Student Pass for ages 13+; valid student ID
Music	Spotify Premium	AED 11.99/month (vs AED 19.99)	Verify via SheerID on the Spotify student page; renewable yearly up to 4 years

All discounts require proof of enrollment. Scroll down for the full breakdown of each program, eligibility criteria, and how to redeem.

What Do You Need to Get Student Discounts in the UAE?

Before signing up for any program, make sure you have these documents ready; most programs require at least one of them.

• Student ID card: The most widely accepted proof of enrollment. If you’d prefer not to share your university-issued ID, the ISIC card (International Student Identity Card) is an alternative accepted in 130+ countries, including the UAE. It costs AED 85/year and gives access to discounts from 150,000+ brands globally. It is endorsed by UNESCO. 
• Proof of enrollment: This can include your enrollment letter, admission letter, fee receipt, and other documents that prove you’re presently pursuing a particular degree from a recognised university or educational institution. These documents are mostly required by banks or for participating in government schemes like the RTA Student Nol Card or premium software discounts.
• University email address: A lot of student discount programs, especially digital ones, actually verify your enrollment through a university-given email address. So, if you’re signing up for a Spotify or Microsoft student plan, you’d definitely need this.
• Local ID card: For UAE resident students, an Emirates ID is often required, especially for government-linked programs like the RTA Student NOL Card, student bank accounts, or any scheme that needs to verify your residency status in the country.
• Passport & Visa copy: For international students studying in the UAE, a copy of your passport along with a valid UAE student or residence visa is required in certain cases. That way, programs can confirm both your identity and your legal status as a student in the country. Mostly, these are asked for by banks, telecommunications providers, and government discount schemes.

Best Student Discounts in UAE 2026 – By Category

Now that you know what documents to keep handy, let’s get into the actual discounts part. The UAE has a surprisingly wide range of student discount programs. These span everything from software and transport to food, fashion, and banking. Some of these are exclusive to UAE residents, while others are globally available. Here’s a breakdown of the best ones across some of the most popular categories.

Grocery and Everyday Needs

Saving on everyday essentials and groceries can save you a lot more money than you’d think. Because, unlike a one-time gadget purchase or a concert ticket, this is money you’re spending every single week. It is literally your cost of living.

And as we all know, savings don’t add up by denying yourself aspirations; they add up with making tiny decisions to save money from day to day. That’s why here are some student discount programs that you can benefit from even while buying everyday essentials.

noon

noon is one of the UAE’s most recognizable grocery platforms. They cover everything from fresh produce to kitchen and household products. Now, although they do not have an official student discount program from the brand itself, they do have partnerships with student discount apps like SmartPocket and Nafaa. Using these, you could potentially save up to 20% of your grocery spend monthly. Besides these, you also get exclusive discounts like AED 20 off on every AED 100 you spend at noon through your ISIC card. Plus, if you want some extra savings, then be sure to check out GrabOn for verified noon coupons and deals.

Travel

This is a daily essential, and although everyday transport may not cost much, it does add up. And if you’re on a student budget, that’s going to take up a significant part of your expenses. But these student discounts can help you reduce them.

RTA Student NOL Card 

The RTA Student NOL Card gives students aged 5 to 23 a 50% discount on all public transport in Dubai, including metro, buses, trams, and water taxis. Launched by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority in 2024, the card requires a minimum balance of AED 7.50 to use. To apply, you need your university enrollment letter along with your Emirates ID or passport.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways offers students 10% off Economy tickets and 5% off Business class tickets on all global routes. The discount applies to any departure point or destination, as long as you fly with Etihad. For additional discounts, adding Etihad coupons before booking confirmation is a wise choice.

Emirates

Emirates offers a student discount of up to 10% on Economy and 5% on Premium Economy and Business class fares, valid for students aged 16 to 31 across 140 destinations. The program also includes a 10kg extra baggage allowance or an additional piece of luggage. Use code STUDENT at booking and carry your student ID or school acceptance letter when checking in. You can also apply Emirates promo codes for an additional 20-25% off on international flight bookings.

Tech & Electronics Student Discounts in UAE (Apple, Samsung, Sharaf DG)

Being a student in the UAE also gets you some solid deals on devices you use every day. A lot of global brands have dedicated education stores that quietly offer some of their steepest discounts to students. While these don’t really get advertised much, you can still save a few hundred dirhams on a laptop or phone you were already planning to buy anyway. Here are a couple of brands to note:

Apple

Apple’s Education Store offers UAE students discounts on Mac notebooks, iPads, monitors, and accessories, plus 10% off AppleCare+ for your devices. Students also get access to Apple’s creator studio for AED 9.99, a significantly subsidised rate. Purchase must be made through the Apple Education Store with student verification.

Samsung

Samsung offers UAE students up to 30% off Galaxy smartphones, tablets, laptops, and wearables. Both full-time and part-time students at accredited UAE institutions are eligible. Register on the Samsung student discount page using your university email to activate the offer. Samsung also allows stacking with trade-in discounts and cashbacks, which can add a further 5% in savings.  You can also apply Samsung coupons during checkout. They also allow stacking with trade-in discounts and cashbacks, which can add an extra 5% to your savings.

Sharaf DG

As one of the UAE’s biggest electronics retailers, Sharaf DG offers an additional 5% off (capped at AED 150) on select Windows laptops priced at AED 2,500 and above. Available to Grade 12 students and university attendees, this discount can be claimed in-store by showing a valid student ID and Emirates ID, or online by filling out their verification form to receive a unique promo code. The real kicker here is timing: if you shop during their massive “Back to School” seasonal fairs, the platform lets you pair this discount with Sharaf DG discount codes, aggressive trade-in programs, where you can get up to AED 500 for old working or non-working laptops, along with localized bank cashbacks that slash prices even further.

Food and Dining 

If you’re in the UAE, you’re probably spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out. But if you’re on a budget and midnight cravings hit, an impromptu Talabat order can definitely pinch your pocket. But the good thing is,  quite a few well-known restaurants and delivery apps have student deals that make eating out (or in) a lot more manageable.

Deliveroo 

One of the most well-known food delivery apps, Deliveroo, operates across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, and Ajman. They have nearly 178,000 restaurants, cafes, and cloud kitchens on board, making different cuisines accessible to users at different price points. For students specifically, Deliveroo has a Plus Silver plan that offers free delivery on eligible orders. And if you pair your orders with promos on UNiDAYS and Student Beans, or the latest Deliveroo offer codes, then the savings can definitely add up.

Fashion and Beauty

If you’re in one of the shopping capitals of the world, it is highly unlikely that you can just resist shopping. And you know what, you don’t really need to. Because global and well known brands offer healthy student discounts on their range of clothing and accessories. Let’s see which ones:

Molton Brown

If you’re into skincare or luxury perfumes, then this is one student offer you should definitely know about. Molton Brown, the British luxury bath and body brand, offers students 15% off full-price items, both online and in-store at their boutiques. To redeem it online you only need a university email address to register. If you’re shopping in-store, a valid student ID should work too. You can use the discount up to four times a year, twice online and twice offline.

ASOS

You’ve most probably heard of ASOS as it’s one of the most popular online fashion retailers in the world. Their catalogue includes clothing, shoes, and accessories from 850+ global brands like Mango, along with ASOS’s in-house designs. Their student program offers students a 10% discount on every order. You can sign up for it on the ASOS student page or access it through UNiDAYS or Student Beans. If the student codes aren’t available, you can still save with verified ASOS deals from GrabOn.

Free & Discounted Software for Students in the UAE

If you’re a designer or developer, you’d be no stranger to the high pricing for even the most essential softwares like Adobe, GitHub or even Microsoft can cost a fortune for yearly plans. But these student discounts can help save money without needing to compromise on the tools you actually use, or settle for less legal alternatives.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft offers a global student discount program, with 10% off on select devices and accessories, both refurbished as well as new. Along with that, students also get a free Office 365 subscription. All you have to do is sign in with a student verified Microsoft email or university assigned email.

Adobe Creative Cloud

With the Adobe Creative Cloud education plan, students and teachers can save up to 71% for the first year then nearly 43% off for successive years as long as the education plan is active. With the plan, you get access to over 20 Creative Cloud apps along with 4,000 monthly generative credits for Adobe Firefly.

GitHub Student Developer Pack

If you’re a coder, whether by passion, or in the making you’d be no stranger to GitHub. And the free GitHub Pro account for students and teachers comes with tons of perks. You get access to unlimited repositories to code along with 3,000 actions minutes and 180 codespaces per month. You also get quite a bit of cloud storage with 2GB for packages and 20 GB for codespace storage.

Autodesk

You can get access to Autodesk’s suite of applications for completely free for a year with the Autodesk educational access plan. You can access the plan as long as you are over 13 years old, and are pursuing education from a formal institution. The plan includes well known applications like Revit, AutoCAD and Maya. This makes it perfect for beginners and students who want to explore professional-grade design and animation tools, without paying professional prices.

Spotify Premium Student

Music is pretty much a survival essential when it comes to commuting, working out and even late night study sessions. And Spotify is basically the platform for music for most students. The discounted Spotify Premium plan for students blah blah. While the standard Premium plan runs at AED 19.99/month, the student plan brings that down to AED 11.99/month. You can extend this plan for 4 years, renewing it every year. To be eligible for this program, you have to be over 18, and your university also needs to be recognised by SheerID.

Entertainment and Lifestyle 

If you’re looking for something more fun to do on weekends and holidays than just working on assignments, there are plenty of student discounts on experiences that will stretch your budget a lot further. From cheaper movie tickets and theme-park days to discounted entry at museums, galleries, and heritage sites, you can turn regular hangouts into affordable mini‑adventures just by carrying your student ID.

Roxy Cinemas

Roxy Cinemas is a Dubai‑born cinema brand known for its more premium, lounge‑style movie experience across multiple well-known locations. That includes areas like Dubai Hills Mall, City Walk, or The Beach JBR. If you’re in these areas, you can take advantage of their student discount package, as long as you have a valid student ID. The package gives you a Roxy Silver Experience with a movie ticket (timed before 6PM), popcorn, and a drink for AED 59. The offer is usually valid for Monday to Thursday/Friday (depending on location).

Museums & Cultural Sites

The UAE has tons of cultural hubs that offer a promising experience as a student. There are museums and cultural spaces that offer special student at youth passes that are heavily discounted from the standard prices. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, for instance, offers a dedicated Student Pass for anyone aged 13+. Doesn’t matter if you go to school or university in the UAE or abroad you can still avail this pass. There’s a yearly pass where you get unlimited access to the galleries and four major exhibitions for one year for AED 120.

There’s also a Young Adult / Youth Pass at the same price for people aged between 18–25. University students who are older than 25 also qualify for this pass, as long as they have a valid ID. The discount package also gives you added perks like up to 10% off at the Museum Boutique and 15–20% off selected café and yoga experiences.

Top Student Discount Apps & Platforms in the UAE (Free to Join)

The programs listed above are definitely a great start to saving as a student. They’ll save you money on the things you buy most often. But besides that, there are so many other brands that offer student discounts you can take advantage of.

How do you get there? Well, dedicated platforms exist where you can just sign up, verify your Student ID, and you’re good to go. Most of these are free to join too.

Here are some platforms you need to know about.

• UNiDAYS: With some of the biggest international brands on board, like Nike, Apple, ASOS, Spotify, and more, UNiDAYS is one of the most popular student discount platforms in the UAE. You just need to sign up with your university email ID and get verified. Once you’re verified, you get access to exclusive student codes that aren’t usually available to the general public.
• Student Beans: If you’re looking for local deals, Student Beans is the platform to check out. From food deliveries to apparel, Student Beans has a lot of domestic deals that can be helpful for students. Plus, besides well-established brands, they also feature a lot of independent brands that can prove to be better value for money as well.
• Fazaa: A UAE-specific privilege programme with over 7,000 partner outlets. Fazaa covers niches like dining, fitness, retail, healthcare, and education. Their hyperlocal focus helps you find discounts and deals on everyday things you need in daily life.
• ISIC Card: This international student ID card, valid in 130+ countries, gives you access to student discounts from brands across the globe. You can save on groceries, apparel, tech, and even flights, using this card. You do have to pay an AED 85 fee to sign up for this card, though.
• GrabOn UAE: Although not expressly a student discount platform, GrabOn is still a savings platform most students can take advantage of. It has coupons and active promo codes on brands like  Noon, Amazon.ae, Talabat, Namshi, and so many more. Their codes are updated regularly, bringing you the freshest deals before any other platform.

Summing Up 

Student life in the UAE can be expensive — rent, transport, eating out, and textbooks all add up fast. But between verified student discount programs, platform-based deals, and regularly updated promo codes, there’s genuinely a lot you can save. The highest-value moves: activate Adobe’s education plan for 71% off software, grab the RTA Student NOL Card for 50% off daily transit, sign up for UNiDAYS and Student Beans for ongoing brand discounts, and check GrabOn UAE before any online order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do UAE universities offer their own student discount programs?

Yes, most do. Universities like AUS, AUD, UAEU, Zayed University, and Heriot-Watt Dubai have tie-ups with local businesses, gyms, and cafes near campus. For example, AUS students get discounted rates at select Sharjah dining outlets. Check your university’s student services portal or notice boards for current partner deals.

Can international students access the same discounts as UAE nationals? 

Most yes. Platform-based discounts like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, and Spotify Student are open to all enrolled students regardless of nationality. Some government-linked programs like Fazaa may have additional eligibility conditions; check directly before signing up.

Is the RTA Student NOL Card available to all students in Dubai?

It is available to students aged 5 to 23 enrolled at accredited institutions in Dubai. You’ll need your university enrollment letter and Emirates ID or passport to apply. The current list of eligible universities is on the RTA website.

Do I need a UAE residence visa to get student discounts?

No, you don’t. For most retail and platform discounts, your student ID is enough. For government-linked programs like the Student NOL Card or certain banking products, a UAE residence visa is typically required.

Are there student discounts available during Ramadan?

Absolutely. Ramadan is actually one of the best times to save in the UAE. Most major platforms like Noon, Talabat, and Namshi run significant promotions during this period. Restaurants and cafes also frequently offer Iftar deals that are very student-budget-friendly.

Do cinemas in the UAE offer student discounts year-round?

VOX offers student pricing, but availability can vary by location and film. Reel Cinemas also gives you 15% off on movie tickets and 10% off on food and beverages through the ISIC card. Ask at the counter even if any offers are not listed, and go during off-hours to get the best prices on tickets, regardless of whether you’re a student or not.

Does a Student ID give you discounts in the UAE?

Yes, a student ID is the most widely accepted proof for discounts across retail, dining, entertainment, and transport in the UAE. Most in-store programs at brands like Molton Brown, Roxy Cinemas, and Sharaf DG accept a university-issued student ID directly at the counter. For online platforms like UNiDAYS or Spotify, you’ll typically need a university email instead.

Are student discounts in the UAE only for university students?

No. Several programs cover school students, too. The RTA Student NOL Card is open to students aged 5-23. The Louvre Abu Dhabi Student Pass covers anyone aged 13+. The ISIC card is available to any enrolled student. However, platforms like UNiDAYS and Spotify Student require you to be 18+ and enrolled in a recognised higher education institution.

What is the best student discount card for UAE university students?

The ISIC card (AED 85/year) is the most versatile; accepted by hundreds of UAE brands and valid in 130+ countries. For daily transit, the RTA Student NOL Card gives 50% off public transport in Dubai. For software, your university email alone unlocks Adobe, Microsoft 365, GitHub, and Spotify. Using all three together gives you the broadest coverage.

Is there a maximum age limit to get student discounts in the UAE?

It entirely depends on the specific brand’s policy. Some programs have strict age caps: the RTA Student NOL Card cuts off at age 23, while the Emirates student flight discount applies up to age 31. Conversely, digital verification platforms like UNiDAYS, Student Beans, and Spotify Premium Student do not have an upper age limit, as long as you are over 18 and actively enrolled in a SheerID-recognized higher education institution.

Do I need a university email address (.ac.ae or .edu) for online discounts?

For software and tech brands like Samsung, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Microsoft 365, using a university-assigned email address is the fastest way to instantly verify your status. However, if your UAE institution does not provide a student email, platforms like SheerID and UNiDAYS allow for manual verification. You can upload an official document, such as a stamped enrollment letter or a current term fee receipt, to prove your active status.