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California top choice for UAE students

Education consultancy says choice comes as no surprise with the city's quality of its higher education system, attractive climate and quality of life.

Carian College Advisors, a specialist American education consultancy headquartered in Dubai, has named California as the number one choice of students from the UAE pursuing higher education in the United States. The distinction is based on the list of clients the consultancy served in 2013.

Peter Davos, managing director of the consultancy, said the choice comes as no surprise to him as California is renowned for the quality of its higher education system, its attractive climate and excellent quality of life. “California is by far our students’ most popular destination. It is home to some of the world’s top universities, such as Stanford University, Harvey Mudd College, California Institute of Technology, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College.

“Stanford University has surpassed Harvard University this year as the most difficult university in the US to be accepted to, while Harvey Mudd College graduates earn the highest average salaries of any university in the US. California Institute of Technology was ranked as the Best University in the World in the 2011 Times Higher Education World University Rankings in Engineering and Technology and Physical Sciences, and both Pomona and Claremont McKenna are ranked among the top 10 liberal arts schools in the US by US News and World report.”

With over 4,000 degree-granting institutions of higher learning in the 50 states, Carian College Advisors caters to the varied needs and preferences of the UAE students. Davos added: “The US remains one of the world’s leading destinations for students living in the UAE. Our clients from all over the world continue to choose the US over other countries because of its flexible curriculum, interdisciplinary approach to education and emphasis on holistic development of the individual. The US is one of the most culturally diverse and inclusive societies in the world, having welcomed visitors and students from foreign countries for centuries.

The most popular majors for the UAE students are Business and Management, Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.” The consultancy offers a range of admission counselling services for the UAE students targeting the US for further studies. During 2013, Carian College Advisors’ UAE students secured admission to many leading universities, such as Georgetown, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Cornell, Yale, Brown, Colorado School of Mines, Columbia, University of California Los Angeles, and New York University.