What does it take to get into a good university?

Abu Dhabi - Several universities in Abu Dhabi have stringent admission rules requiring applicants par excellence

Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi may have space for up to 2,500 students to study on its Reem Island campus, but only 880 students are so far enrolled here. It is not lack of interest, not even the high fees is the reason for the seats not to be filled up. It is simply a very tough university to get into.

Sure, the university does want to increase its number of students, and it does so, but not at the expense of the quality of applicants.

"For this academic year we had an increase in numbers, which is 12 per cent from the previous year, and we are looking at hopefully increase in the number of students next year by 15 per cent," said Wendy Farrell, head of the registrar department at Sorbonne University here.

For the 2015-2016 academic year, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi had around 650 applications, of which 320 have been enrolled.

"Of course, we would like to increase the capacity of our student enrollment, but it is the quality of applicants which is important to us. We want our students to be successful, so we do have quite a strict criteria for admissions," Farrell told Khaleej Times.

One of the oldest universities in the world dating back to the 13th century, Paris Sorbonne has always been dedicated to literature, languages, civilizations, arts, humanities and social sciences.

The likes of Marie Curie, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Leopold Senghor the first President of Senegal, have all graduated from Sorbonne in Paris.

Not only one of the oldest, but one of the world's most prestigious, Sorbonne is one of the toughest universities to get into, and that goes for its sister university in Abu Dhabi, as well.

Alongside New York University - Abu Dhabi, Masdar Institute, the Petroleum Institute and Khalifa University, Sorbonne Abu Dhabi has some of the highest achievements demand of its students.

"Our admission process is quite simple. The minimum requirement to get accepted at the university is an average of 80 per cent," pointed out Djamal Kellouche, acting head of section of student recruitment at Sorbonne. For undergraduates, the university asks to see school grade results from both Year 11 and 12. Since most classes are taught in French by Paris Sorbonne professors, students are also required to be fluent in French.

"Students who speak French can directly enter the major they want to study, while students who do not speak French have to go through an intensive French Language Course, which takes one year. If they are successful, they start their academic major right after that," he added.

The online application is reviewed by the head of the department the student applies for, who gives an initial recommendation. Then an admission commission studies the application and makes the final decision.

"What is very important is the personal statement we ask every applicant to write. So along with the academic result we get a sense of the students' commitment and reason for wanting to study at Sorbonne," said Farrell.

The university has 10 majors for its undergraduate programme and 13 masters' programmes, in addition to a Sports Management Diploma and the French Intensive Course.

The most popular majors, at least this academic year, are Economics and Management (133 students), Applied Foreign Languages (120 students) and Law (115 students).

There are no less than 70 different nationalities studying here, but the largest number of students is Emiratis, nearly 33 per cent. Even French citizens - from France - choose Sorbonne Abu Dhabi, partly for its cultural diversity and partly for its unique academic system.

"There are many reasons why Sorbonne stands out, but one of the main ones for me is the history of Sorbonne. It is also widely recognised and so entwined with humanities and arts," mentioned Farrell.

"I think with Abu Dhabi having the Louvre and with so much emphasis on arts and culture, we have lots of synergies and connections with the local Arabic culture."

"The other way we stand out from other international universities in Abu Dhabi is our teaching, our professors who come out from Sorbonne and Pierre and Marie Curie universities in Paris, who are well recognised in their fields."

The classes are usually small, maximum 30 students, unlike Sorbonne in Paris, where amphitheatre classes attract hundreds, if not thousands of students. This allows for far better interaction between students and teachers.


New York University - Abu Dhabi

If Sorbonne is tough, the New York University - Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) is exceptional. For starters, admissions for the next academic year, 2016-2017, were already filled by January this year. There were 11,000 admission applications, but only 300 were accepted.

"The total number of students are around 880 currently," said Anna Dechert, director of admissions at NYUAD.

Also a historic educational institution (the New York one), the likes of Woody Allen, JD Salinger, Alan Greenspan, Mohammed El Baradei have studied at NYU and the young Abu Dhabi campus is already having its first alumni: Shamma Al Mazrouei, the UAE Youth Minister, is a NYUAD graduate, class of 2015.

"Students can apply online to the university. We require to see their academic results from Grade nine to Grade 12. We also ask them to write two essays, one a personal letter and one on what interests them in NYUAD specifically," explained Dechert.

"It is not compulsory, but we also recommend applicants to send us recommendation letters and to list any extracurricular activities they have done in and outside school - volunteer work, community, arts or athletic programmes," she added.

Based on all of that, the university takes the decision on whether or not to invite students for an orientation week at the NYUAD campus. More face-to-face interviews follow, but an invitation usually means one foot in the door.

The university has over 100 nationalities and this is the main reason why many New York-based undergraduates prefer to come to Abu Dhabi to study, rather than staying back home.

"Last year Emiratis were our largest number of students, but the previous year the US were," pointed out Dechert. "Our students here want to be in an environment intensely diverse. In four years of studies you have roommates from between five to 10 different nationalities," he added. "Plus, being in Abu Dhabi now is really exciting. The city is at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa and it is developing at an incredible pace."


Khalifa University

Although not an international institution, Khalifa University has also made an enviable name for itself. The private university offers nine undergraduate engineering programmes in Aerospace, Biomedical, Communications, Electrical and Electronic, Civil, Industrial and Systems, Mechanical and Computer Engineering, and soon to be added a new programme in Chemical Engineering.

There is also an undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Masters of Sciences in Information Security, Nuclear Engineering, Research in Engineering (Electrical and Computer), an MA in International and Civil Security and a Ph.D. in Engineering.

"Every year we aim to admit between 400 to 500 new students, however we receive over 4,500 applications," pointed out a spokesperson for Khalifa University.

"Our admissions are highly competitive and students should not be over 20 years to be accepted into an undergraduate programme. They must also hold a UAE Secondary School Certificate in Science with a minimum overall achievement of 80 per cent," added the spokesperson.

High quality of education aside, a major attraction for studying at Khalifa University is the internship programmes for students to find employment with leading local and international companies.

"On a more personal level, our students have the opportunity to travel the world for conferenced, competitions, and exchange programmes. We also have over 28 active student clubs that appeal to a wide array of interests, from theater and local heritage, to Japanese culture and photography," stated the spokesperson.

As of now, the university's student community is made up of 88 per cent Emiratis and 12 per cent other nationalities. For the 2016-2017 academic year admission applications are still opened here, until July.- silvia@khaleejtimes.com