Abu Dhabi: In line with providing students with the chance of getting a higher education, Abu Dhabi University (ADU) this week announced that it was allocating Dh11 million for scholarships and financial aid, with over 1,600 students expected to benefit from its programmes.
Since its opening in 2003, ADU has contributed over Dh151 million in scholarships and financial aid for 8,643 students. Its fund programmes — which are open for both Emirati and non-Emirati students — are aimed at outstanding students and students facing financial difficulties.
“We are a private university that is deeply committed to meeting the needs of the country and educating young people to take on leadership roles, and so the approach we have is to try as hard as we can to make sure that anyone who is capable are not deterred because they can’t afford it,” said Dr Waqar Ahmad, chancellor at ADU.
“There are two types of financial support that we provide. The first is based on merit; these are students who have achieved high marks in schools. The second category is for students who are financially challenged. We look at their situation and then agree on the kind of financial support we are able to provide for them,” he added.
Dr Ahmad said the university doesn’t set a quota on the number of students eligible for their scholarship and financial aid fund.
“There is no quota, we don’t put a limit on ourselves and say that we will only accept 50-100 students. We try to accept as many students as we can.
“Each scholarship and financial support is also different, for some students it might be an outright 100 per cent scholarship and for others it could be a fund of 50 per cent. So the numbers vary depending on the individual assessments,” he added.
Dr Ahmad also highlighted how students from abroad could also apply.
“As a university we are committed to increasing our number of international students — the more diverse we are the better it is for us as a university. The scholarship and aid programme is open to both Emirati and non-Emirati students, and so we are expecting a high number of applications,” he added.
Dr Ahmad called the university’s scholarship and financial aid programme a worthwhile investment for the long term.
“I think it’s absolutely crucial that we invest in helping students get an education, to do our part that can help with the betterment of society and the success of the UAE’s economy. These students who will eventually graduate with new skills and knowledge will be able to give back positively to the country.
“The last thing we want is to say to those who can’t afford a higher education that ‘sorry, we cannot help you’. If you look at all successful countries, they identify talent and support the development of that talent, and so if we have to invest our own money as a university to achieve that goal, then we will do it,” he added.
