Abu Dhabi, UAE – 16 November 2020:  Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has revealed that applications for the 2021/22 cohort of the Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Distinguished Students Program (SDS) have exceeded expectations, with1,726  eligible Emirati students attending the recent virtual roadshow. 

 

Open to Grade 12 candidates studying in the Emirate’s public and private schools as well as in the Applied Technology High School (ATHS), the SDS Program provides high-performing Emirati students with holistic scholarships for continued academic study at the world’s top 150 ranked universities.

 

Launched in 2009, the highly competitive SDS Program enrolled 3,435 Abu Dhabi students between 2011 and 2020. Designed to cater to the needs of Abu Dhabi’s future labor market, the program has supported 2,878 undergraduates, 107 doctorates and 450 postgraduates over the last decade, with 85% of scholarships during the 10-year period granted to students undertaking majors in Business Administration and Law, Medicine & Health Sciences, and Engineering. The SDS Program has provided full scholarships abroad to 60 students in its 2020/2021 cohort.

 

Ahead of the next cohort, a total of 1726 prospective candidates, 600 parents and 150 school career advisors recently joined a series of webinars to learn more about the rigorous application and selection process. Scholarship guidance counselors and specialists from the Abu Dhabi Scholarships program, the central point for all SDS applications, led the webinars.

 

Under the SDS Program criteria, students are required to achieve a 90% average in their Term 1 academic results to advance to the first stage of the filtering process. Successful students will then be invited to take online psychometric assessments in February next year. 

 

Students who scored 1,100 or higher in their EmSAT Mathematics in addition to any other science subject will be invited to take part in an interview by March 2021. Following the interview, the final list of confirmed scholarship students due to be announced in June are also required to receive enrollment acceptance in one of the top 150 universities. 

 

Exceptional students who have secured admission to the world’s top 20 ranked universities accredited by ADEK will benefit from a newly introduced ‘Fast Track’ application. The ‘Fast Track’ cohort of students will not be required to go through the interview and the psychometric test stages of the SDS application process and will be placed into the final pool of potential scholarship recipients. 

 

Selected SDS students will gain access to a myriad of scholarship benefits including mentorship, a monthly stipend, travel, books, full coverage of tuition fees and laptop allowance, in addition to a potential bonus for academic achievement and internship opportunities prior to graduating. 

 

Once graduated, students are offered access to accelerated career pathways as part of the scholarships support workforce process, with some of the UAE’s most sought after private and public organizations.

 

“With the overarching aim of bridging gaps between academia and future labor market requirements, the Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Distinguished Students (SDS) Program bestows unrivaled education and career opportunities for our best young minds. In our efforts to equip students to compete in a global economy, we continue to collaborate with public and private entities to provide training and on-job opportunities that empower them for future market requirements,” emphasized Samar Al Mansoori, Acting Executive Director, ADEK’s Higher Education Sector. 

 

To ensure the holistic development of all SDS program students throughout their tertiary education journeys, ADEK assigns a Social and Academic Advisor to every student to provide academic and emotional support through scheduled contact sessions. 

 

The SDS program is supported by the RIZE University Preparation and Career Guidance Program (UPCG), an ADEK initiative that enables students from Grades 9 to 12 by enhancing academic skills required for higher education and future career pathways. RIZE UPCG has also played a pivotal role preparing students for their SDS journey ahead by working hand-in-hand with students to provide practical support, customize bespoke educational pathways to each student’s unique interests, aspirations and strengths.