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Scholarships for
over 100 Emirati varsity students

ABU DHABI - More than a hundred Emirati high school students are expected to benefit from the higher education scholarship opportunities being offered by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs (MoPA) in the UAE’s private universities and top universities abroad.

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In an orientation on Monday attended by around 1,300 male and female graduating students from 40 public schools in the capital, the students were briefed on the criteria and benefits of the scholarship programme. They were invited individually to attend the orientation for scoring 80 per cent in their High School Certificate last year.

According to representatives from the MoPA, the Ministry offers two types of scholarships, one to study in select private universities in the UAE and the other to study abroad.

Criteria for the Bachelor’s Degree Programme included a score of not less than 85 per cent in the General Secondary Education Certificate, have been accepted by one of the universities accredited by MoPA, have registered a minimum of 15 credit hours per semester, a 450 score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and not less than 500 for those who will study abroad, and maintain an Accumulative Grade Point Average (AGPA) of not less than 2.80 for UAE universities and 3.0 for those who will study abroad.

“We are giving 100 scholarships yearly for the best-performing students to study in select universities in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah,” said Asma Al Hammadi, scholarships coordinator at the MoPA.

Some of these universities included the Abu Dhabi University, American University in Dubai and Sharjah, Emirates Aviation College, Canadian University and University of Wollongong.

“Since the UAE Scholarship Programme started in 2001, we have granted scholarships to 675 students, 248 of whom have already graduated. Out of these, 91.5 per cent are currently employed in different government offices,” Al Hammadi told Khaleej Times.

For the Study Abroad Scholarship Programme, the MoPA sends 15–20 brilliant students annually to study at any of top 25 universities in the world, said Noora Al Zaabi, student recruitment coordinator at MoPA.

Five students will also be awarded a grant to study environmental sciences, meteorology, oceanography, mathematics and engineering in Canada, Australia, US and the UK. The undergraduates will automatically receive employment at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology after completion of their Bachelor’s Degree.

Similarly, five students who will take up diplomacy courses will have secure employment at MoPA’s Protocol Department.

As part of its obligations, the MoPA will pay for the academic fees, book fees, dormitory costs, transportation fees and a monthly salary to students enrolled under the scholarship programme. For those who will be studying abroad, MoPA will shoulder the fees for placement tests, health insurance, air tickets and travel allowances.

Students, meanwhile, have to agree to work with a government entity for a period not less than twice the duration of the scholarship. The MoPA will start accepting scholarship applications for UAE universities from January 2-13, 2011 and June 2011 for abroad.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE