Background: The association between social anxiety and specific confounders such as body mass index (BMI) and gender has not been studied in the UAE yet. This study aims to assess the impact of sociodemographics and BMI on social anxiety levels among the university students. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was performed on 578 students using a modified version of the established and validated self-administered “Social Anxiety Questionnaire-Adult 30” (SAQ-A30), which aims to assess social anxiety across five different dimensions. Furthermore, height and weight measurements were obtained using manual scales to calculate the participants’ BMI. Results: About 553 students were eligible for data analysis. Based on analytical tests, the female gender was associated with increased social anxiety (P<0.05). In addition, negative changes of body self-perception were associated with increased social anxiety scores among college students (P<0.0001). However, we found no correlation between social anxiety levels and different BMI groups among the university students. Conclusion: Social anxiety levels increase based on gender and change of body self-perception after entering college in students.