U.S. Embassy Hosts 20 U.S. Universities at the 2012 NAJAH Education Exhibition

October 17, 2012

Ambassador Corbin and the Minister of Higher Education at the EducationUSA Pavilion

Ambassador Corbin meets with a representative from George Mason University

The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi is hosting representatives from 20 U.S. universities at the EducationUSA Pavilion at the 2012 NAJAH Education and Training Exhibition Fair taking place from October 16 through October 18, 2012 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC). U.S. university representatives will join EducationUSA advisors in providing information to students interested in pursuing their undergraduate and graduate studies in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to participate in this year's NAJAH Exhibition, the UAE's leading annual exhibition focusing on education, training, and careers.  This year's EducationUSA pavilion is the largest since the inception of the exhibition and will provide a significant platform from which to distribute information and to advise Emirati students about applying for and studying in the United States.

EducationUSA Centers offer free advising services at the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the U.S. Consulate General in Dubai and are the only official U.S. Government source of information on studying in the U.S. EducationUSA's mission is to ensure students across the Emirates get the information they need about studying at more than 4,000 accredited American colleges and universities.  Centers offer free, accurate, and objective information about educational opportunities at accredited institutions in the United States, along with guidance on how to access those opportunities. Full information on EducationUSA, in the UAE and around the world, is available at EducationUSA.state.gov.

According to Open Doors 2011, an annual report on international students in the United States, the 2010-11 academic year saw 1,871 Emirati students studying in the U.S., a 13% increase over the previous year and a continuation of double-digit annual growth in recent years. The most popular majors for UAE nationals studying in the United States tend to be business and management, engineering, and physical and life sciences. Students from the UAE are choosing to study all over the United States as well.

Open Doors 2011 reported an all-time high number of international students at colleges and universities in the United States and a record number of Emiratis as well. In 2010-2011, the total number of international students from all countries grew by 4.7%, to just over 723,000 - 32% increase since the beginning of the decade.

Working in cooperation with public and private partners across the UAE, the U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi, along with the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, supports a range of educational and cultural programs. These programs reflect the depth and breadth of the U.S.-UAE bilateral relationship.