United Arab Emirates Explains New Student Admission Policy After EmSAT Exam Cancellation – News

Following the announcement by the UAE authorities cancellation of the EmSAT entrance exam in early November, the Ministry of Higher Education and Research allowed universities to establish admission policies, minimum guidelines and student assistance programs.

Instead, it established criteria for assessing the outcomes universities should achieve at the end of a student’s journey, helping to regulate educational quality and outcomes.

The main goal of this approach is to provide universities with flexibility. Ahmad Ibrahim Alsaadi, Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Higher Education, said: “Universities know better. They are on the ground and understand students, which allows them to develop admissions criteria.”

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Waiving the EmSAT exam as an admission requirement allows universities to use flexible options that allow students to take bridge programs or other preparatory courses.

As previously reported by Khaleej Times, Dr. Yousef M. Al Assaf, president of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai, said: “The new admission criteria will largely reflect our current approach. We will continue our own placement tests in physics, mathematics and English, alongside the standard IELTS and TOEFL requirements.”

Nahid Afshan, Director of Admissions at BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, said: “Our admission criteria will be based on the overall aggregate obtained by the student in the secondary school examination, with minimum grade requirements in relevant subjects, based on preferred specialization. For English language proficiency, we will consider alternative exams such as IELTS in the absence of EmSAT.”

The average rating is not important

To improve university admissions, individual subjects have been linked to different specializations, emphasizing that high grades in these relevant subjects are more important than overall average. “We will only look at the specialization of subjects required for this course,” Alsaadi further explained, ensuring that students are assessed on their strengths in their chosen field

For example, for those interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programs, achieving high grades such as an A in chemistry, biology, or physics is now an admission requirement.

To ensure transparency, all admission criteria data will be publicly available. “Students are encouraged to contact universities directly to inquire about available bridging programs and the opportunity to choose their preferred courses,” he added.

Unlimited number of applications allowed

Additionally, NAPO 2.0 is the ministry’s revamped student admission service, designed to make application and acceptance more flexible and provide all information necessary for student registration throughout the year.