Occupying a crucial economic role in supporting capitalism through the supply of oil, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very-high income, early-development stage nation with high annual economic growth levels but low levels of labour market participation by its citizens. The national higher education system was established in 1977 and offers a different context through which to examine the relevance of existing accounts of globalisation and education in a postcolonial nation. The paper concludes by suggesting ways in which the UAE context challenges and extends Tikly's proposed conceptual framework, described in his article, "Globalisation and education in the postcolonial world: towards a conceptual framework", when considering the impact of globalisation on the higher education system of a very high-income developing country. (Contains 9 notes.)