ADU maintains unchanged Tuition Fees for 2013-14 and up to 25% Tuition Discounts to balance Quality Education with Affordability
Tuition freeze could help to retain the UAE’s best students for world-class education locally instead of studying abroad
With global tuition fees continuing their upward trend, the UAE is well positioned to capitalize on the falling enrolment at many Western institutions after Abu Dhabi University (ADU) announced that its tuition fees will remain unchanged throughout the 2013-14 academic year. In addition, ADU is offering substantial incentives of up to 25% discounts on tuition, as part of its long-standing commitment to post-graduate education and to make world-class education more accessible to the most academically and financially deserving students.
The tuition freeze is part of ADU’s strategy of establishing a state of equilibrium between highly competitive academic standards and competitive value for money. It is partly designed to help the UAE to retain its most gifted academic talents at local centers of academic excellence, as a more attractive alternative to traveling abroad for tertiary education. The move is in stark contrast to the escalating tuition costs experienced at popular destinations like the US, where tuition fees have increased by as much as 32%. In the UK, tuition increases have led to a 7.7% decline in applications over the past year.
In addition to the unchanged tuition, ADU’s Merit-Based Masters Level Tuition Policy stipulates that students who graduated from any institution with a minimum CGPA of 3.5 or equivalent are eligible for a significant discount of 25% discount in tuition fees. Furthermore, ADU alumni who wish to pursue Masters degrees will receive a 20% tuition discount.
Elaborating on the tuition discounts, Dr Nabil Ibrahim, Chancellor of Abu Dhabi University said: “Our support for our alumni does not end when they graduate, because even after they attain their Bachelors degrees we help empower them to further their studies through our 20% discount for all ADU alumni. In today’s ultra-competitive job market, postgraduate degrees distinguish candidates above the overwhelming majority of other job seekers. This builds on our highly unique Bachelors programs which have been crafted according to the highest global standards and enables more than 90% of our graduates to find employment within a year from graduation.”
Dr Ibrahim added: “ADU passionately believes in maintaining a balance between world-class education facilities and applied research on one hand, and on the other hand ensuring that academic ability and ambition are the main determinants to enrolment. The tuition freeze and discounts cement our ever-growing reputation as the national university of choice, and inspire our vibrant multicultural student community to make a difference in every part of the globe.”
The announcement, coupled with ADU’s status as a lively cosmopolitan hub of over 60 nationalities, could entice exceptionally gifted students seeking a vibrant student community that nurtures their social, cultural and intellectual growth in the dynamic heart of the UAE’s thriving capital.
