Many institutions around the world use the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to assess test-takers' proficiency in English, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where a given Band score (or its equivalent) is required for direct entry to majors taught in English. However, despite the test's importance and despite being one of the most prosperous countries in the Middle East, scores on IELTS for UAE-based test-takers have consistently been amongst the lowest globally (IELTS: Test-Taker performance, 2021). In a step towards better understanding why, and guided by the academic achievement literature, the present exploratory study examines the relationship between grades and a small number of student characteristics at a higher education institute in the country. Two studies (N = 166 and N = 80) using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A; Ryan & Connell, 1989), the Perceived Competence Scale (PCS; Williams & Deci, 1996), and PISA's (Program for Student Assessment) Student Background Questionnaires (OPEC: Technical report, 2015) were conducted to measure students' autonomous and controlled motives, competence perceptions, and wealth, respectively. Results indicated that contrary to much of the relevant literature, participants' autonomous motives and wealth were negatively associated with grades while the relationship between perceived competence and grades was weaker than expected. Explanations for these findings along with their implications for future research are discussed.