1,726 Emirati students attend Adek’s scholarship roadshow

Abu Dhabi - Selected SDS students will gain access to a myriad of scholarship benefits including mentorship, a monthly stipend, travel, books, full coverage of tuition fees and laptop allowance

As many as 1,726 eligible Emirati students took part in a virtual roadshow for the 2021-22 cohort of the Scholarships for Distinguished Students Program (SDS), revealed the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK).

Along with the prospective candidates, 600 parents and 150 school career advisors also joined the webinar series to learn more about the rigorous application and selection process.

Open to Grade 12 candidates studying in the emirate’s public and private schools as well as in the Applied Technology High School, the SDS programme provides high-performing Emirati students with holistic scholarships for continued academic study at the world’s top 150 ranked universities.

Selected SDS students will gain access to a myriad of scholarship benefits including mentorship, a monthly stipend, travel, books, full coverage of tuition fees and laptop allowance, in addition to a potential bonus for academic achievement and internship opportunities prior to graduating.

Once graduated, students are offered access to accelerated career pathways as part of the scholarships support workforce process, with some of the UAE’s most sought after private and public organizations.

“With the overarching aim of bridging gaps between academia and future labour market requirements, the programme bestows unrivalled education and career opportunities for our best young minds. In our efforts to equip students to compete in a global economy, we continue to collaborate with public and private entities to provide training and on-job opportunities that empower them for future market requirements,” emphasized Samar Al Mansoori, acting executive director, Adek’s Higher Education Sector.

The SDS programme has supported 2,878 undergraduates, 107 doctorates and 450 postgraduates over the last decade, with 85 per cent of scholarships during the 10-year period granted to students undertaking majors in Business Administration and Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Engineering.

Who is eligible for the scholarship?

Under the SDS programme criteria, students are required to achieve a 90 per cent average in their Term 1 academic results to advance to the first stage of the filtering process. Successful students will then be invited to take online psychometric assessments in February next year.

Students who scored 1,100 or higher in their EmSAT Mathematics in addition to any other science subject will be invited to take part in an interview by March 2021. Following the interview, the final list of confirmed scholarship students due to be announced in June are also required to receive enrolment acceptance in one of the top 150 universities.

Exceptional students who have secured admission to the world’s top 20 ranked universities accredited by the Adek will benefit from a newly introduced ‘Fast Track’ application. The Fast Track cohort of students will not be required to go through the interview and the psychometric test stages of the SDS application process and will be placed into the final pool of potential scholarship recipients.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi