Dubai: Select universities in Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) are offering a total of 600 scholarships and grants to Chinese students enrolling for the 2017-18 academic year.
Participating institutions include Amity University Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Middlesex University Dubai, University of Wollongong in Dubai, and Edline Training and Professional Development.
Ranging from partial to full scholarships, the support and grants aim to reward outstanding Chinese students and help alleviate the financial burden of studying overseas.
Keen on increasing the number of Chinese students on its campus, which currently stands at 35, Amity University Dubai is leading the initiative with 300 scholarships valued at $1.3 million (around Dh4.77 million)
Meanwhile, Middlesex University Dubai is set to provide scholarships that cover 30 to 100 per cent of the tuition fees to the first 50 undergraduate students.
With 30 Chinese nationals currently enrolled, Heriot-Watt University Dubai is offering 50 students a waiver of 50 per cent on the tuition fee for any of its foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
In addition to the universities, Edline, a provider of programmes for Chinese students to learn English in preparation for university courses, has rolled out 95 scholarships offering $1,000 (around Dh3,673) off the semester price of $8,500 (around Dh312,200).
Last October, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE) signed an agreement stipulating that degrees awarded to Chinese students in Dubai would be verified by the CSCSE and the Ministry of Education in China. It also complements the fact that Chinese nationals can now receive UAE visas on arrival.
Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of DIAC, said: “With its strategic location at the crossroads between the East and the West, Dubai is becoming an increasingly popular higher education prospect for a growing number of overseas students. The rise of international branch campuses of leading global universities has enabled students to obtain widely recognised degrees from world-class institutions without having to travel all the way to the home campus, adding to Dubai’s allure as an academic destination.”
Speaking on her experience of studying in Dubai, Veronica Chu from China, a fourth-year student at Amity University Dubai, said: “After four years of studying in Dubai, I am extremely comfortable here. It is such a safe city, which means less worry and more focus on my studies. A grant from the university has been a huge help in allowing me to study here. Apart from enjoying the excellent facilities the campus has to offer, it has also been easy for me to work part-time. In my opinion, Dubai has the ideal environment for Chinese students looking for a world-class education. I cannot recommend it enough.”
