In October 2007, New York University announced its intention to open a complete branch campus in Abu Dhabi, financed by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

[2] The school was first opened in 2008 on a site in downtown Abu Dhabi, where it held various public events such as academic conferences, workshops, and performances.

[6] Alfred Bloom, former president of Swarthmore College, was appointed to lead NYU Abu Dhabi as vice chancellor in September 2008.

[8] Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was the keynote speaker at NYU Abu Dhabi's inaugural commencement ceremony[12] for 140 graduates held on May 25, 2014.

In December 2013, The Guardian wrote, in a multi-part report, that conditions for the foreign workers at the construction site for the campus amount to modern-day slavery.

[16] NYU Abu Dhabi revamped and strengthened its Labor Compliance Program to ensure fair compensation and strict adherence to its supplier code of conduct.

With a gross 11,400 square-foot, 19 WSN is the academic home for NYUAD students, faculty, and administrators who are living in New York as well as the connection center for the two campuses.

As a prerequisite for graduation, students are required to take courses from the core curriculum, which encompasses topics in world literature, social studies, arts and natural science.

Additionally, students are encouraged to study up to two semesters at New York University's Global Network sites in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Madrid, Paris, Prague and Shanghai.

The university further provides regional study trips within the United Arab Emirates and to countries in Africa, Middle East and Western Asia.

Categories include Academic and Professional; Art, Literature, and Media; Cooking and Food; Culture and Religious; Music and Performance; Outreach and Engagement; Environment and Sustainability; Recreational; Technology; and Sports and Athletics.

Akkasah Center for Photography[34] at NYU Abu Dhabi collects antique photos from around the Middle East to capture the region's societal transformation over the last century.

SMSP is intended for undergraduate students at institutes of higher education in the United Arab Emirates other than New York University Abu Dhabi.

An article appeared in The New York Times regarding labor violations during construction, with subcontracted workers complaining of their passports being confiscated and of being charged a year's wages in advance to work for little money in poor conditions.

As he told Slate magazine, "If someone with my kind of profile and especially my official position ... can be treated this way, what is the value of the protections that are promised for less high-profile faculty in Abu Dhabi?

"[44] At the May 2024 graduation ceremony, a university student was held into a police custody and deported from the UAE for wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and shouting “Free Palestine!”.

The university has also faced criticism for balancing American liberal arts education with the UAE's strict speech laws, and for using migrant workers to build the campus under poor conditions.