[4][5] The school is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the United Arab Emirates.

[11] In 2008, Zayed University received accreditation from the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

[22] The program provides students with faculty mentorship, workshops, and lectures over a two-and-a-half-year period[23] during their studies.

[25] In November 2018, The Zayed University Food Court, situated in Academic City, Dubai, was designed and built.

[26] In December 2010, the Federal National Council (FNC) investigated the competency of Zayed University's senior management.

[31] In July 2023, Shamma Al Mazrui, the UAE's Minister of Community Development, was appointed as the new chair of the board of trustees.

[34] Professor Matt J. Duffy expressed concern that his activities, including "writing for Gulf News, starting a student chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, and teaching objectively about the U.A.E.

[36] Materials deemed to be offensive are removed from the university library or placed in a locked storage area called Special Collections.

[37] Librarians at Zayed University are instructed to consider censorship and culturally appropriate attitudes toward access and authority when teaching information literacy.