DIAC paves way for Chinese students with 600 Scholarships and Grants.

Select institutions of Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) have announced scholarship programs and grants for Chinese students who are planning their higher education in Dubai. The scholarships will be applicable to those enrolling for the year 2017/2018. The initiative will help the transfer of ideas between the countries and help students seeking education in Dubai. Participating institutions include Amity University Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, Middlesex University Dubai, University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), and Edline Training & Professional Development (Edline). Ranging from partial to full, the scholarships and grants aim to reward outstanding Chinese students and help alleviate the financial burden of studying overseas.   Amity university Dubai is leading the initiative with 300 scholarships valued at US$ 1.3 million. Meanwhile, Middlesex University Dubai is set to provide scholarships that cover 30 to 100 per cent of the tuition fees to the first 50 undergraduate students. With 30 Chinese nationals currently enrolled, Heriot-Watt University Dubai is offering 50 students a waiver of 50 per cent on the tuition fee for any of its foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.   Edline, a renowned provider of admission pathway programmes for Chinese students to learn English in preparation for university courses, has rolled out 95 scholarships offering US$1,000 off the semester price of US$8,500, in addition to the universities.   Early October 2016, Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) signed an agreement with Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange (CSCSE), stipulating that the degrees given by the institutions to Chinese students be verified by CSCSE and the Ministry of Education in China. Complementing the fact that Chinese nationals can now receive UAE visas on arrival, this step has gone a long way in enhancing Dubai’s attractiveness to Chinese students looking to study abroad.   Mohammad Abdullah, Managing Director of Dubai International Academic City, said: “With its strategic location at the crossroads between East and West, Dubai is becoming an increasingly popular higher education prospect for a growing number of overseas students. The rise of international branch campuses of leading global universities has enabled students to obtain widely recognised degrees from world-class institutions without having to travel all the way to the home campus, adding to Dubai’s allure as an academic destination.”   He added: “Reasonable tuition fees and a high standard of living provide a winning combination of factors that help the UAE compete on the world stage as one of the best places to study. Leveraging the long-standing friendly ties between the UAE and China, Dubai is committed to maximising its appeal to talented Chinese students.” Speaking on her experience of studying in Dubai, Veronica Chu from China, a fourth-year student at Amity University Dubai, said: “After four years of studying in Dubai, I am extremely comfortable here. It is such a safe city, which means less worry and more focus on my studies. A grant from the university has been a huge help in allowing me to study here. Apart from enjoying the excellent facilities the campus has to offer, it has also been easy for me to work part-time. In my opinion, Dubai has the ideal environment for Chinese students looking for a world-class education. I cannot recommend it enough.”   Chu was able to work alongside her studies due to the new Student Part-time Work Regulation that enables students to gain industry experience and boost their employment prospects after graduation in a bid to prepare sufficient numbers of qualified young professionals for the workplace. The regulation allows students of DIAC universities to work part-time across 4,500 businesses in eight business communities – Dubai Internet City, Dubai Outsource City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Science Park, and Dubai Design District (d3).   For more information on studying in Dubai and on the types of grants and scholarships on offer, interested students can refer to Dubai International Academic City’s website http://www.diacedu.ae/ or visit the website of their preferred educational institution directly.