Abu Dhabi University Graduate Scholarship

The Abu Dhabi University Merit-Based Graduate Scholarship is a tuition fee waiver created to reward academically strong postgraduate students who choose to pursue their Master's degree at Abu Dhabi University (ADU). It is one of two postgraduate scholarship options offered by the university.

The other, the Alumni Scholarship, is reserved for ADU alumni continuing into a Master's program and offers a 20% tuition waiver with a lower maintenance CGPA of 3.0, compared to the 25% waiver and 3.5 maintenance CGPA required under the Merit-Based Graduate Scholarship.

This scholarship is specifically designed for incoming Master's students who already hold a strong undergraduate academic record. Unlike undergraduate scholarships at ADU, which offer multiple tiers based on grades, the Merit-Based Graduate Scholarship works on a simple, single-tier basis: students who meet the minimum CGPA requirement receive a fixed 25% reduction on their postgraduate tuition fees.

Key features of the scholarship include:

• Single Fixed Waiver: Eligible students receive a flat 25% discount on tuition fees for their Master's program, rather than a sliding scale.
• Merit-Based Eligibility: The scholarship is awarded purely on the strength of the applicant's undergraduate academic performance, measured through Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
• Automatic Assessment: There is no separate scholarship application form to fill out before admission. Eligibility is automatically checked once a student is formally admitted to ADU and assigned a student ID number.
• Open to All Nationalities: The scholarship is available to UAE residents, GCC nationals, and international students alike, as it is not restricted by citizenship.
• Single Waiver Rule: If a student qualifies for more than one postgraduate waiver program (for example, both the Merit-Based Graduate Scholarship and the Alumni Scholarship), they must choose only one and cannot switch to a different waiver program for the rest of their studies.

Maximum Award per Student

• Tuition Fee Waiver: Covers 25% of tuition fees for the Master's program at Abu Dhabi University.
• No Tiered Structure: Unlike some undergraduate scholarships at ADU that scale between 15% and 50%, this graduate scholarship offers one consistent rate of 25% to all qualifying applicants.

Duration of the Award

• Maximum Coverage Period: The scholarship can be held for the full duration of the Master's program or up to four years, whichever comes first. This four-year limit is a university-wide cap that applies across all ADU scholarships, rather than the typical length of a Master's program itself; most ADU Master's programs are designed to be completed in under two years of full-time study.
• No Annual Reapplication: Students do not need to reapply each year. As long as the maintenance criteria are met, the waiver continues automatically.
• Maintenance Requirement: To keep the waiver active, students must maintain a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.5 in their Master's-level program.
• Temporary Loss and Reinstatement: If a student's CGPA falls below 3.5 in any semester, the waiver is paused for the following semester. If the CGPA recovers to 3.5 or above afterward, the waiver is automatically reinstated.
• Term Coverage: The merit-based tuition waiver applies to winter and summer terms as well as the regular Fall and Spring semesters.
• Exclusions on Repeated Courses: The waiver does not cover any repeated courses, including courses where the student received a grade of F (Fail), WA (Withdraw Administratively), or W (Withdraw).

Type of Expense Covered

Application Process

• No Separate Pre-Admission Form: There is no standalone scholarship application that students need to submit before being admitted. A student must first secure formal admission into a postgraduate (Master's) program at Abu Dhabi University.
• Student ID Activation: Once admitted, the student is assigned a unique student ID number, which is used to log in securely to their ADU account.
• Automatic Eligibility Display: ADU reviews the student's submitted academic records (such as undergraduate transcripts) during the admission process. If the student qualifies for the Merit-Based Graduate Scholarship, it will automatically appear under the "Financial Aid and Scholarships" section of their student account.
• Online Submission: The student then completes the relevant online application fields and uploads any required supporting documents through their student portal — typically certified academic transcripts, the degree certificate, and identification documents (passport/Emirates ID) — before submitting.

Eligibility & Document Requirements

• Undergraduate CGPA Requirement: Applicants must hold an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 3.5 (or its recognized equivalent) to be considered eligible for this scholarship when entering a Master's program. For degrees graded on a different scale, ADU's Admissions Office determines the equivalent CGPA on a case-by-case basis as part of the standard admission review.
• Formal Admission Required: Applicants must first secure formal admission to a postgraduate program at Abu Dhabi University before any scholarship review takes place.
• Academic Transcripts: Certified copies of bachelor's degree transcripts are required as part of the standard postgraduate admission documentation.
• Degree Certificate: A Bachelor's Degree Certificate is required for master's-level applications.
• English Language Proficiency: For programs taught in English, applicants must meet one of the following minimum scores: Academic IELTS 6.0, EmSAT English 1400, TOEFL iBT 79, or TOEFL ITP 550 (ITP must be taken at the Amideast Institute). Programs taught in Arabic, such as the Master in Law, require a lower English threshold alongside a minimum Arabic EmSAT score.
• Code of Conduct Compliance: Students found guilty of a student code of conduct violation or an academic integrity offense will forfeit the waiver for the remainder of their studies at ADU.

• Single Award Cap: A student can hold only one postgraduate tuition waiver program at a time. Switching between waiver programs after the initial selection is not permitted.
• Semester-by-Semester Monitoring: CGPA is checked every semester. Falling below 3.5 leads to a temporary, one-semester loss of the waiver rather than permanent cancellation, provided the CGPA later recovers.
• Conduct-Based Forfeiture: Any serious breach of academic integrity or the student code of conduct results in permanent loss of the scholarship for the rest of the student's time at ADU.
• Course Repeat Exclusion: Students should be aware that repeating any course due to an F, WA, or W grade will not be subsidized by this waiver, even while the scholarship is otherwise active.