Gulf News Edufair Abu Dhabi: Tech and medicine among top picks for UAE students

STEM courses and medicine remain the top choices for higher education among UAE students, according to high schoolers attending Gulf News Edufair Abu Dhabi.

Tech-driven programmes such as AI, aeronautics, machine learning, cybersecurity, data analytics and biomedical science are drawing special attention, reflecting rising demand in the job market.

Over 1,000 students from some of Abu Dhabi’s leading schools visited the event within just the first few hours of its opening, exploring academic programmes and universities. The education fair is currently under way at Millennium Downtown Abu Dhabi and will run until tomorrow, May 25.

Zain Mohammed, Year 10 students from Creative British School, was at Edufair to look for aviation courses. “I want to be a pilot, so I’m focusing on aviation and science, particularly aviation engineering. I’m exploring options for flight school and engineering programmes,” he told Gulf News.

Edufair features over 20 institutions showcasing 1,000 industry-oriented courses from the UAE and abroad. Students expressed excitement at discovering such a wide range of universities and programmes under one roof, describing it as a great opportunity to explore academic and career pathways, many of which they hadn’t previously considered or known about.

Sumaiya Shamreen, Psychology teacher and career guidance counsellor at Creative British School, highlighted the continued interest among students in both medicine and engineering as their top career choices.

“Students are drawn to medical and engineering fields because they see strong career opportunities. That’s why most of the students from our school are interested in pursuing either medical or engineering. Aeronautical, mechanical and civil are the top choices.”

Business and finance courses also emerged as popular picks, with students citing strong career prospects and growing opportunities in these fields as key reasons for their interest.

Susan Mahmoud from Sabis School said she planned to study business and economics because of the strong opportunities for success in those fields. “I’m thinking of studying in the UAE, maybe in Sharjah, and I’m at Edufair to check out what kinds of courses are available here.”

Her friend Noor El Rifi said "I am interested in medicine and is exploring options both in the UAE and abroad."

Meanwhile, Abdul Salam, Academic Supervisor and Career Guidance Counsellor at Darulhuda Islamic School in Al Ain, spoke about the growing interest in psychology courses.

"Students nowadays are exploring various fields such as medicine, engineering and business management. Most students from the science stream are focused on medicine, while students pursuing the commerce stream are interested in business. After completing Grade 12, students are also choosing psychology. The demand for psychology is quite strong,” he pointed out.

Along with strong interest in the UAE-based universities, demand for international education has remained high among students, with many planning to study abroad after high school. Students visited booths featuring overseas study opportunities, gathering information on admissions, courses, and campus life in various countries.

Grade 9 students from Sabis School Khalifa City, Alhur Abdulla Hosani, attended Edufair to explore opportunities for international education. “I’m interested in mechanical engineering and planning to study either in Canada or the USA. Visiting the exhibitors focused on studying abroad was really helpful. It’s great to see so many international education options available.”

Grade 12 student from Darulhuda Islamic School, Najya Afsal visited Edufair to learn more about aviation pathways. “I’m looking for pilot training courses, and Spain and Greece are my preferred destinations.”