(MENAFN Press) The University of Dubai (UD) received hundreds of prospective students, family members and friends at its recent open day event.
Spurred by an announcement that UD was offering partial scholarships to new students, crowds began to gather before the doors were opened at 3 pm to learn about the university and its scholarship offer.
A UD representative confirmed that more than 100 students applied in the first couple of hours at the event on Saturday, which is a new record for the university.
The university has received dozens more applications since its Open Day while still more applications are pouring in daily. The recruitment department is currently processing applications to contact eligible students.
Parents and students who attended the Open Day event were able to gather information about the university, the courses it offers and the scholarship. Many staff and faculty members of UD were on hand to assist and answer questions.
Buthaina Ahmad Al Masri, a student from Providence Private School, who submitted her application on Open Day, said the scholarship is a "gigantic opportunity for students to study in a prestigious university for lesser fees." If accepted, she wants to study Business and Finance and begin her career in the banking industry.
Suleiman Nabil Asad from Jordan also took advantage of the scholarship. He plans to study Accounting in UD's College of Business and dreams of becoming an auditor at Deloitte or Ernst & Young.
He said, "I am very happy that UD has offered the scholarship because UD has the AACSB accreditation and I'm sure once I finish my studies I can get a job in one of these two famous auditing firms!"
Officials at the event said the university meets rigorous standards to hold the AACSB accreditation which ensures that the degrees earned by UD graduates will be recognized around the world by prospective employers or other institutions of higher learning, should the graduate decide to seek a higher degree at a university abroad.
University of Dubai President Dr. Omar Hefni said, "We are very pleased with the outcome of our Open Day event and due to its success we will continue accepting applications for the scholarship.
The aim of this initiative is to provide the most number of applicants the opportunity to obtain a higher education degree from a university that is accredited both locally and internationally while reducing the burden of tuition fees.
Since being founded by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry as a not-for-profit organization, offering a quality higher education to as many as we can is part of UD's social responsibility to the UAE community and we are happy to be able to do it now at an even more affordable cost than other universities."
