Minerva Schools at KGI aims for higher intake of bright young minds from the Middle East

• Minerva Schools focuses on educating the 21st century undergraduates from around the world 
• High achieving students will get the chance to pursue one of the most-sought-after degree courses preparing them for success in our modern world

Dubai – February 15, 2017:   Minerva Schools at KGI, a San Francisco-based innovative undergraduate university program, has announced their plans to select the creme of students from this region. Smart students from the region will get the chance to pursue one of the most-sought-after degree courses in the word from the highly selective college, where the students learn in ways no other university offers. 

Founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Ben Nelson, and former Dean of Social Sciences at Harvard University Stephen Kosslyn, Minerva offers a reinvented university experience for the brightest and most motivated students from around the world. The Minerva Schools at KGI were established in 2013 and offer undergraduate and graduate degrees accredited by WASC. 

Speaking to the media in Dubai on Wednesday, Mr. Ben Nelson, Chairman and CEO of Minerva, said, “We are aiming for a higher intake of students from the UAE and Middle East. The intensive four-year experience at Minerva is deliberately designed to challenge the students accelerating their intellectual growth and preparing them for success in today's rapidly changing and interconnected global context. Our new partnership with the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education is one of our efforts to reach students in this region who are brilliant but do not have the financial means to afford such a higher education experience”. 

“The university a student chooses to attend will impact more than the next four years. It will define how they learn and shape the way they think - for the rest of their life. Minerva pushes the students in ways no other education will, teaching the students the skills needed to solve the most complex problems of our time,” he added. 

“The students at Minerva will be provided the opportunity to learn 21st century skills with the world’s brightest students and veteran experts from multiple fields of study, through seminars, and projects with coveted institutions and companies,” Mr. Nelson further said. 

Minerva’s unique university program combines - 

• Global exposure during study – Minerva students do not merely study diverse cultures, they experience them, living in up to seven of the world’s most important cities over the course of their four years.  They start in San Francisco in their first year and then experience a different world city each semester through a curated global rotation that includes cities like Berlin, Buenos Aires and Seoul.
• Practical experience – Minerva’s curriculum emphasizes practical knowledge.  Minerva students learn and apply the transferable skills needed to succeed in the modern world and economy. It also designs and provides a series of unique experiential learning activities (co-curriculars + local partnerships) in each country providing opportunities to apply classroom learning to real life projects. 
• Best in class career prospects – Minerva students work and intern at great places like Apple, Amazon, Airbnb, Uber, IDEO, CalTech, UCSF and more. 
• Unique classroom experience – Every class is a small seminar centered on intensive discussion and debate. Minerva students develop critical and creative thinking skills through active learning, not memorization for exams. All classes are highly interactive seminars taught using proven instructional methodologies and innovative technology. 
• Relatively low cost – Tuition is $12.5K/year – a fraction of the cost of peer institutions, like those in the Ivy League. Minerva offers need-based financial aid (incl. scholarships, low-cost loans, work-study) to ensure no admitted student is denied the Minerva experience due to finances.

The application to Minerva is simple and free. It does not require students to take the SATs, IELTS, TOEFL or ACTs.  Minerva’s application can be accessed and completed, here: https://www.minerva.kgi.edu/application/1/ 

There are three parts to the application - transcripts, extracurricular achievements and a set of online challenges. 

The key dates for application cycles are as follows:  

Admissions Deadline: March 15, 2017

Regular Decision II
This application cycle aligns with application timelines common outside of North America, making it convenient to apply regardless of a student’s geographic location. Admissions notifications and enrolment decisions for this cycle occur more rapidly than in prior cycles; applications are due on March 15, 2017, you will be notified by April 26, 2017.  If you are admitted during this cycle, and are notified before or on April 15 you must confirm enrolment by May 1. If you are notified after April 15, you must confirm enrolment by May 10. 

Binding Enrolment Option
If Minerva is your top choice, select the Binding Enrolment option for any admissions cycle and you will receive an expedited admissions decision within three weeks of completing your admissions requirements. If you are admitted, this decision is binding. You will be committed to attending Minerva and required to withdraw applications from other institutions. Your enrolment deposit will be due within ten days of your Admissions Notification.
Note: If you are interested in matriculating in 2018 or later, please complete and submit the first page of the application. We will contact you when the appropriate admissions cycles are open.

If you are a curious, passionate, hardworking and collaborative student - wanting to embrace a global and challenging, rigorous learning - Minerva may be the place for you. Apply today!