Dubai: Universities and colleges in the United States are aiming for a higher intake of students from the UAE and Middle East, officials said on Tuesday.
College representatives and student advisers from around the Middle East and North Africa region gathered in Dubai on Tuesday to recruit students from the UAE.
UAE students studying in the US increased last year by 23 per cent, taking the number of students studying in the US now to more than 2,700.
In order to increase this number even further, the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai invited official student advisers from the Mena region to the Education USA Regional Forum, to share their best recruitment practices.
Jarred Butto, Programme Officer, Education USA, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US State Department, said the regional forum, which takes place once every three year from September 1-3 provides opportunities to discuss solutions to challenges they might face in recruiting students.
“Some of the challenges include lack of funding, which university to enrol in and what tests and paperwork are required to apply to universities. We help students get past these challenges with ease,” he said.
Butto said having students from around the world study in the US helps students learn from each other and gives them an opportunity to learn about different cultures and gain a better understanding about each other.
Ethan Goldrich, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said recruiting more students from the UAE specifically and the region in general is important because it build ties between countries.
To provide students with the needed information and possibly recruit students, a US university fair will take place on Wednesday at the Grand Hyatt Dubai from 4 to 7pm.
Students and their families will have the unique opportunity to speak directly with representatives from a variety of universities to talk about admissions, scholarships, and ask general questions.
Students from all high schools in the UAE are invited to attend.
Ali Lejlic, Counselor for Press and Cultural Affairs at the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, said there are around 4,000 colleges and universities in the US, so having a free consultation by the advisers can be helpful to choose from the many options.
The conference will include delegates from prominent testing services, including CollegeBoard, ETS and IELTS.
There will also be representatives from US universities that include Albion College (Michigan), College of the Canyons (California), Colorado State University, Emory University (Georgia), George Washington University (Washington D.C.), Loyola Marymount (California) and Minerva Schools (California), to name a few.
