Eligibility Criteria for MBZUAI Admissions

• Applicants to MBZUAI can be of any nationality, as long as they hold a bachelor’s degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field like electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, computer engineering, physics, and other important engineering and science majors from a university that is approved or acknowledged by the United Arab Emirates Education Ministry (MoE). It is required that candidates have a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.2 on a scale of 4.0 or equal.
• When submitting an application, applicants are required to provide their degree certificates and transcripts, both of which must be in the English language.
• Students in their senior year can submit an application with a copy of their transcript and a letter stating when they intend to graduate. If they are offered admission, they will be required to present their official, fully completed degree certificate and transcript. Within the first semester of their enrollment at the university, students are required to provide either a degree attestation (for degrees obtained from the UAE) or an equivalence certificate (for degrees obtained from outside the UAE).
• Proficiency in the English language: Each candidate is required to provide evidence that they are proficient in the English language by submitting certified document copies of one of the following:
• IELTS Academic with a score of 6.5 or above across the board as a minimum.
• TOEFL iBT with a cumulative minimum score of at least 90.
• A minimum score of 1550 on the EmSAT English section is required.
• The result of the TOEFL iBT and IELTS academic certifications are valid for 2 years from the day that the exam was taken, but the findings of the EmSAT are only acceptable for 18 months. Only the conventional versions of the recognized English language proficiency tests—that is, those that are carried out in actual test centers—will be taken into consideration.
• Exemption applications from qualifying USA, UK, New Zealand, and Australian nationals who completed their K-12, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees (if applicable) in those countries will be processed. They must present notarized and certified documentation for application and admission. Waiver decisions are made within seven days of obtaining all prerequisites.
• General Test: Providing a general test certificate is elective but will improve your assessment.
• Statement of Purpose: Explain in an 800-word essay why you want a graduate degree at MBZUAI and include the following:
• University application motivation
• Personal and intellectual background and how it qualifies you for the program
• Awards, honors, etc.
• Student ambitions
• Post-graduation career goals
• Other supporting information
• Two Referees: Applicants must provide references. M.Sc. candidates must have two referees: one a prior course teacher or faculty/research adviser and the other a former or current workplace supervisor.
• Entry test: Applicants who are chosen will be sent an invitation to take part in an entrance examination, which will comprise questions on the following subjects:
• Math: Problems pertaining to calculus, probability theory, linear algebra, and optimization that are considered to be of a fundamental nature.
• Machine learning: No prior background is required for M.Sc. candidates.
• Programming: Candidates for the M.Sc. will be asked about fundamental programming problems.
• Applicants who were chosen for further consideration will get an invitation to take part in an online information session hosted by the Office of Student Affairs.