I. Admission Standards

Admission policies are clearly articulated so that they can be understood by applicants and implemented consistently by those making the decisions. Applicant information used for admission decisions should be gathered systematically and used consistently. Admission decisions depend on many factors, including accrediting agencies’ requirements, societal factors such as the development of UAE nationals, student scholastic achievement, leadership experience, work record and other indices that may be related to academic and career success. The university follows its admission policies in making admission decisions. Admission policies include all factors considered in entry decisions and should be accessed and understood by all participants in the entry process. Admission policies should result in:

• Student body that supports the achievement of the UD mission.
• Higher retention rates.
• Higher 15-18 month graduation rates.

 

II. Admission Requirements

Applicants must:

• Complete an application form
• Submit an original bachelor’s Degree certificate or certified equivalent (approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research)
• Submit a copy of a valid passport and identity card
• Provide six recent passport-size photographs (in color)
• Submit a Medical Certificate
• Provide 2 satisfactory reference letters from academicians and/or employers
• State professional plans and career objective as required in the application form
• Pay AED 1000 non-refundable fee for admission.

Note: The application form may be completed online at the following link: http://ud.ac.ae/apply

Transfer students must also submit the original transcripts from the college/university they are transferring from. In addition, transfer students must submit the course syllabus and course description for each course they seek to transfer for credit.

 

III. Admission Criteria

A. Regular Admission requirements for the MBA program

1. Completion of a recognized baccalaureate degree in a discipline appropriate for the MBA degree. A Higher Diploma is not equivalent to a baccalaureate degree and does not qualify an applicant for admission to the MBA program.
2. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or its established equivalent, in the applicant’s baccalaureate degree program.
3. A minimum of 550 in TOEFL (or IELTS - 6 overall; or TOEFL iBT – 79) in the last 2 years or as a requirement for the bachelor degree studies. However, as an exception to this requirement, an applicant with an undergraduate qualification from an English-medium institution will be exempted from this requirement given that he/she provides evidence of acquiring a minimum TOEFL score of 500 on the Paper-Based test, or its equivalent at the time of admission to his/her undergraduate program.

B. Conditional Admission requirements for the MBA Program

1. A student with a recognized baccalaureate degree in Business with a cumulative GPA average of 3.00 or above on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, and a TOEFL score of a minimum of 530 (197 CBT, 71 iBT) or its equivalent on another standardized test approved by the commission may be admitted conditionally to the MBA program. Such a student must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:
1. must achieve a TOEFL score of 550, or equivalent, by the end of the student’s first term of study;
2. may take a maximum of six credit hours in the first term of study;
3. must achieve an overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale in the first nine credit hours of credit-bearing courses studied for the MBA program.
2. A student with a recognized baccalaureate degree in Business with a cumulative GPA average of a minimum 2.25 up to 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, and who meets the English language competency requirements for regular admission stated in “Part A” above, may be admitted conditionally to the MBA program.  Such a student must meet the following requirements during the period of conditional admission or be subject to dismissal:
1. may take a maximum of six credit hours in the first term of study;
2. must achieve an overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale, or its established equivalent, in the first nine credit hours of credit-bearing courses studied for MBA program.

The number of students on conditional admission should not be more than 40% of the total number of students in the program.

C. Admission for Non-Business Degree Applicants

A student who holds a non-business degree with a cumulative GPA average of a minimum 2.25 on a 4.0 scale will have to undertake foundation courses/modules (Pre-MBA modules as in Table 1) before being considered for formal admission to the MBA program. Appropriate exemptions will be given for courses taken with a minimum C+ grade in earlier programs from accredited universities or through passing a challenge exam prepared by UD MBA faculty. Foundation courses/modules may take up to 2 terms (about 6 months) to complete. Students enrolled in these Pre-MBA modules must achieve a minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4 to be eligible to join the regular MBA program after satisfying the English Language requirements.

Table 1: Foundation Modules (Pre-MBA Modules)

Module Code & Number	Module Title	CH
PMBA 500	Principles of Economics	3
PMBA 505	Survey of Management	3
PMBA 510	Analytical tools for decision making (Statistical Analysis)	3
PMBA 520	Survey of Accounting	3
PMBA 530	Principles of Finance	3
	Total (5 Modules)	15

Note: With the approval of the President of UD, a student with conditional admission may be given an additional term to meet the requirements without registering in any further new courses.

 

IV. Admission Guidelines for Transfer Students

UD approves, in principle, the admission of applicants transferring from other institutions of higher education. These candidates are eligible for admission subject to the following conditions:

1. The institution they are transferring from is recognized by the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and uses the credit-hour system.
2. Applicants transferring from other institutions must have earned a GPA of not less than 3.00 and may only be given transfer credit for courses which are equivalent to those offered by UD and in which they have received a minimum grade of B (equal to a GPA of 3.0 or 83-86%).
3. If the transferred student has an academic warning (i.e. GPA is less than 3.0), s/he will be considered for a conditional admission as a new student and not as a transfer student.
4. Prior to their admission, transfer students will be informed in writing of transfer courses approved by the college Dean. The transfer courses will be accepted upon receipt of official transcripts.
5. Transfer credits are entered on the student’s transcript and student’s academic plan with “TC” grade. The transferred courses are credited hours but no grade points are assigned; thus, they are not used in computing the student’s GPA.
6. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer must not exceed 50% of the total hours required for graduation (i.e. 18 Credit Hours).
7. Transferred courses must match at least 80% of the course content of UD courses.
8. No credits will be granted twice for similar courses taken at different universities.

 

V. Admission Criteria and Requirements for Visiting Students

A. Conditions

• Students must have passed all the prerequisites for the required subjects.
• Students must fully adhere to UD regulations and rules, including attendance.
• The cumulative number of credit hours allowed for the registration of visiting students should not exceed 18 credit hours and such students cannot register for more than 2 consecutive terms.
• The visiting student could be accepted as a regular student after compliance with UD admission requirements.
• The visiting student may register at any time during the registration period.

B. Documents Required

• Copy of a valid passport
• Six recent photographs (in color)
• UAE residency visa
• Original transcripts from the university in which the student is currently studying.

 

VI. Readmission

All students who have withdrawn from the university or have cancelled their registration at UD, but who wish to be re-admitted, must submit a formal request to the ARD. A dismissed student may be re-admitted as a new student only. The CBA Dean and the UD President may approve such readmissions on a case-by-case basis.

 

VII. Admission Regulations

The following admission regulations are followed:

• Admission and acceptance of students to UD is valid for only one term. Students who fail to register will lose their admission status and must resubmit their application as a new applicant. The university will only keep the files in its records for two terms after their submission.
• Applicants should make sure that all documents required for finalizing their admission are submitted to the ARD before registration begins.
• The names of UD students on all university documents are spelled in English exactly as they appear on their passports or identity cards. If a name on a passport or an identity card does not appear in English, it will be spelled according to the applicant’s preference.
• Applicants, who were denied admission to UD, may file a petition for admission on a conditional basis. These applicants will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for approval by the CBA Dean and UD President.
• Students granted conditional admission will be considered At-Risk and accordingly, will be closely monitored by the MBA Director.
• A student status report for conditionally admitted students will be issued at the end of each term and a hard copy archived in the student’s file.