This change marks the result of recent decisions taken by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to remove the EmSAT requirement for Grade 12 students, therefore enabling universities to set their own admission standards.

Instead of the EmSAT, every university will now establish its individual criteria according on the academic concentration of every program, especially for competitive fields like engineering and medical. This shift highlights students' subject-specific successes—such as their scientific subject grades—over overall marks, therefore more precisely matching entry requirements with their desired fields of study.

Commenting on these developments, Dr. Yousef M. Al Assaf, President of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Dubai, said that they closely fit the current strategy of the university. Apart from demanding language competence examinations like IELTS and TOEFL, RIT Dubai intends to keep running placement tests in topics including physics, mathematics, and English. Dr. Al Assaf claims that RIT Dubai's requirements guarantee that prospective students are suitably ready for the rigor of university-level courses by including completing standards specified by both the Ministry of Education and the parent university in New York.

Universities have also indicated that they would be open to accepting foreign tests, such as the SAT or ACT, in place of EmSAT, therefore helping students hoping to apply with known, worldwide norms.

The termination of the EmSAT requirement will relieve student pressure, according to Nahid Afshan, Head of Admission at BITS Pilani's Dubai Campus, who may now concentrate on their high school achievements instead of studying for extra tests. She underlined that the revised criteria of BITS Pilani will give students' overall high school exam results top priority, together with minimal subject-specific marks depending on their chosen career. Previously measured on EmSAT, English competency will now be confirmed by tests such as IELTS or TOEFL.

The new method gives students more time and freedom to focus on their areas of strength by removing the necessity to satisfy EmSAT criteria, This helps kids present a wider range of successes, from academic performance to extracurricular activities, therefore lowering stress.

Furthermore endorsing the new approach is the American University in Dubai (AUD). Associate Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions at AUD, Sara Sleem, remarked that the university's dedication to diversity is shown in the flexibility in testing choices it presents. Previously accepting EmSAT for Math and English competency, AUD also provides alternative tests such the AUD Math Placement Test and IELTS, TOEFL. These choices will now be more easily available for students from different nations and backgrounds, therefore improving the inclusiveness of the admissions process.

Universities can now create a more flexible admissions system taking into account the different educational profiles of candidates as EmSAT phased out, Such a strategy helps candidates by giving them more choices to satisfy entrance criteria, thereby supporting a comprehensive perspective of every student's ability.
Academic authorities underline that the decision to eliminate EmSAT criteria lets colleges choose more field-specific tests, therefore enabling a workforce more suited for the demands of specialized sectors.

Prof. Manda Venkatraman, Vice Chancellor Academics and Dean of the College of Medicine at Gulf Medical University, clarified, for example, that their admissions process now incorporates a variety of alternative benchmarks including the GMU Admission Test scores, Grade 12 science marks, and the College Board Proficiency Test results, This focused method is meant to assess if every applicant has the required basic knowledge and is ready for demanding academic programs in medicine. Venkatraman pointed out that the updated criteria apply to international as well as Emirati students, so enabling a consistent and comprehensive evaluation of every applicant's qualifications.

Particularly in medicine and engineering, which depend mostly on in-depth subject-specific knowledge, the revised admissions method is expected to boost educational standards across the UAE, Universities want to improve the quality of education and, hence, the professional capabilities of upcoming graduates by giving central competencies in these disciplines top priority.

These changes will, according to university authorities, yield long-term advantages, particularly in highly impactful disciplines like healthcare. Medical schools can concentrate more on evaluating applicants' scientific backgrounds and necessary abilities without the EmSAT requirement, therefore helping to generate highly competent healthcare workers. This change is considered as a step towards raising UAE's educational standards, perhaps resulting in better results in medical education and other fields as well.

UAE Universities Simplify Admission Process Following EmSAT cancellation

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