“Higher Education” determines the priority of admission and financing in its institutions for enrolled students

The Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al -Awar, stressed that the priority in admission and financing in the Federal Higher Education institutions is currently granted to students who enroll in the institution within one year from the date of their graduation from high school for the female student, or within a year from the date of their completion of the national service program for male students who joined the national service after their graduation from high school, Pointing to the Ministry’s work to develop and adopt a decision that regulates the process of accepting and financing citizens of citizens in federal higher education institutions.

Al -Awar said, “In a written response to a parliamentary question during the tenth session of the second regular session of the eighteenth legislative semester of the Federal National Council, directed by Walid Ali bin Falah Al -Mansouri, member of the Federal National Council, about excluding high school graduates from enrolling in the higher education system:“ The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research continuously was keen to follow up and develop the process of accepting and financing citizens Federal Higher Education Institutions, where in the past period, through coordination with the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Government Higher Education institutions, and through the esteemed cabinet, established a decision that regulates the process of accepting and financing citizens in the federal higher education institutions, based on a set of priorities that aim to provide the opportunity of higher education in federal higher education institutions for citizen students and in a way that guarantees justice and efficiency of allocating resources.

He pointed out that the system of financing the federal higher education institutions currently in force, ranked students to categories based on their period of enrollment in federal higher education institutions after their graduation from the secondary stage, where priority is granted in admission and financing for students who enroll in the institution within one year from the date of their graduation from high school for the female student, or within a year from the date of their completion of the national service program for students who are males They joined the national service after their graduation from the high school, pointing out that the system had provided a year sufficient opportunity for the male or female student to enroll in higher education and take the opportunity to finance from the government, and the decision included a clear mechanism to deal with students who were unable to join the institution during the specified period, as the system gave them the opportunity to accept if the budget and absorptive capacity of the institution are available.

Al-Awar added: “In cases where the Foundation is unable to finance the student’s acceptance within its operational budget, the system provided the possibility of submitting a separate memo to the Council of Ministers to consider providing the necessary funding. Note that the ministry did not receive requests from the federal higher education institutions to raise such notes in the academic year 2024-2025.

Al-Awar continued in his response: “The total number of continuous and new students funded by the government and enrolled in the federal higher education institutions in the spring of the academic year 2024-2025 reached 46 thousand and 296 male and female students, recording an increase of 6% compared to the spring of the academic year 2023-2024, in which the number reached 43 thousand and 492 students. 2434 of the twelfth graduates of the previous years who were unable to join institutions during the specified period and were accepted after that, which is 5% of the total number of students enrolled.

Al-Awar pointed out that the academic year 2024-2025 was issued a number of 20 thousand and 408 admission offerings for new students to enroll in federal higher education institutions, including 749 acceptance of the twelfth graduates of previous years who were unable to join institutions during the specified period.

The number of new students who actually enrolled in federal education institutions in the academic year 2024-2025 reached about 12 thousand and 469 students, including 395 male and female students from the twelfth graduates of previous years who were unable to join institutions during the specified period.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, with the support and guidance of the Council of Education and Human Development and Society, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, has adopted a new system for admission criteria through which the EMSATEAE Standard Test was canceled and Ministerial Resolution No. (19) of 2024 regarding admission criteria in the programs of higher education institutions in the country, which included an update of the guiding standards that institutions can use or develop at Defining the criteria for admission to undergraduate, diploma, diploma and partial qualifications programs, in addition to the 4 and 5 -level learning units within the national framework of qualifications).

According to the decision, the general rate of high school is no longer part of the requirements for admission to higher education institutions, where institutions can accept students based on the degrees of subjects associated with specialization, which enhances the flexibility of the admission system.

This approach has contributed to expanding the opportunities to join academic paths appropriate to students ’capabilities and tendencies, by not stipulating that it is not related to the required specialization, and this flexibility has been positively reflected on admission rates and the number of students enrolled in federal higher education institutions.