Only weeks after Sheikh Mohammed launched the online application of the Abdulla Al Ghurair STEM Scholars Program, the Foundation confirms an overwhelmingly positive response from A

Dubai, UAE, June 14, 2016:    The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education (AGFE), one of the largest privately funded philanthropic education initiatives in the world, confirms an overwhelmingly positive response from Arab Youth on its online application portal for The Al Ghurair STEM Scholars Program. The Foundation received over 14,500 applications in just 5 weeks of the online application being open, following its launch by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Dubai on April 20. The Foundation was extremely pleased by the strong interest in its scholarship program. The open online process was effective in reaching Arab youth from almost every corner of the Arab world.

The Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, welcomed the high number of applications and congratulated the organization for running its first application process successfully. “We wanted to make sure that every deserving Arab youth had the chance to apply and the high number of applicants proves that there is tremendous demand. The board is very pleased with the Foundation’s first online applications process running smoothly.”   

The Foundation scholarship application is one of the first in the region to be administered exclusively online through a student portal, where students are expected to submit evidence of their academic performance and financial need as well as their ability to succeed by demonstrating leadership skills and commitment to giving back through essays they submit. 

To ensure the smooth running and success of this process, the Foundation provided support around the clock to students and their families who had inquires and needed additional help with their applications. This included holding two information sessions at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and the American University of Sharjah (AUS) as well as daily virtual information sessions where hundreds of students logged in from across the region.

Maysa Jalbout, CEO of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, said: “Our programs were designed with every high-achieving underserved Arab youth in mind, and we are thrilled to have already received such an astounding number of applications to our first year of offering scholarships starting in September. The Foundation is committed to equipping Arab youth with the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their promise as the future leaders of the region and this is the first step of their journey.’’

In the next phase, the Foundation will review all the eligible submitted applications and conduct interviews with shortlisted candidates. The first cohort of Al Ghurair STEM Scholars will be announced in early August 2016. 

This year, applicants were able to apply to one of the Foundation’s four partner universities – American University in Cairo (AUC), American University of Sharjah (AUS) US, American University of Beirut (AUB), and Khalifa University. Receiving the Al Ghurair STEM Scholarship is dependent on securing admission to one of these universities. In following years, the number of universities to which students will be able to apply to will expand. 

The Al Ghurair family has invested 1.1 Billion USD (AED 4.2 Billion) into the Foundation and have pledged to reach a minimum of 15,000 promising Arab youth pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education over the next ten years. The Foundation is focused on providing access to high-quality education for high-achieving, underserved Arab youth who excel in the fields of science and technology and are committed to giving back to their community and the Arab world.