Covid impact: More universities in UAE offer scholarships, provisional admissions

Dubai - Relief for incoming freshmen who have been anxious about their board exams.

More universities in the UAE have eased admission procedures, much to the relief of incoming freshmen who have been anxious about their board exams that are either delayed or cancelled due to the pandemic situation.

Offering provisional admissions, universities have started taking in students for the upcoming session in September. Premier institutions are also extending financial support and scholarships to achievers who deserve them.

“Since unconventional times like these require extraordinary measures, it was deemed necessary to make changes to our admission procedure,” said professor R.N. Saha, director at BITS Pilani Dubai Campus.

“The idea is to provide a smoother transition for students to higher studies and that’s why we decided to offer provisional admissions which will be confirmed upon the declaration of the final results and pupils meeting the minimum eligibility requirement of admission to the programme, irrespective of their scores.”

Through the institute’s scholarship scheme, almost 80 per cent of all enrollees could avail of some sort of scholarship that would apply not only to tuition fees but also to hostel fee concessions.

Other categories of scholarships include special provisions for physically challenged students; special grants to BITS alumni; siblings of students; and candidates from collaborative organisations.

Capital College has also started sending out offer letters to prospective students, based on their provisional results along with other certifications and extra curriculars, said Dr Vikas Nand Kumar Batheja, its co-founder and director.

“With board exams cancelled this year, we can understand how overwhelming university admission can be...This year, our admission process is easier than ever as we aim to extend maximum support, be it moral or financial,” Batheja said.