Global Scholar Program at RIT Dubai, UAE
Experience amazing RIT Dubai!
RIT Dubai is a cornerstone of the Dubai Silicon Oasis ecosystem offering students, staff and faculty access to a local and regional pool of technical and engineering talent, business plan sponsorship, project/R&D assistance, and mentorship programs. RIT Dubai campus is strategically located in the heart of Dubai Silicon Oasis, one of the world’s leading centers of advanced electronic innovation and design. The Dubai Silicon Oasis master plan is designed as a hi-tech ecosystem which offers businesses a plethora of advantages including a state-of-the-art infrastructure featuring advanced telecommunications, electricity, and road networks. It also features technology investment incentives for large enterprises, entrepreneurial support, an incubation center, and venture capital funding.
Getting Started
Our academic year is divided into fall and spring semester. The International Student Office informs students about RIT Global Scholars program opportunities at the beginning of each semester. Application deadlines can be found here. Exact deadlines are communicated to students via e-mails, and other promotional materials and social networks. Students are encouraged to join different events and activities to learn about potential of this great opportunity. Please note that only students who have acquired Sophomore status and higher can apply for the program. It is required that the RIT Kosovo student spends a minimum of two semesters at home campus, before applying for the program, so we are sure that the student is academically strong to attend classes in a foreign country.
Dubai Silicon Oasis
Newly built in 2016, the housing is approximately a 5-minute ride from campus. Free round-trip transportation is available to campus in addition to nearby malls and the Rashidiya metro station. Shuttle service between housing and RIT Dubai runs Sunday-Thursday and an evening shuttle to the nearest metro station, malls and other points of interest runs daily (including weekends). To further explore the city students can use the metro, bus, taxis or water taxis. The student housing buildings are gender segregated and specific building allocations are based on student enrollment and availability. Study abroad students will be co-mingled with students from RIT Dubai and other local university students will also live within the building. Students can expect to share a bedroom and accommodation is available with a shared in-room kitchen or a shared floor kitchen.
Accommodations include:
- Furnishings with beds, study table, chair, lamp, shelf, built-in wardrobes, personal safe and fridge,
- Bathroom in each room,
- 24/7 security,
- Free Wi-Fi,
- Gymnasium,
- Social areas,
- Dining facility (pay as you go, no meal plans available),
- Free laundry services,
- Free weekly basic cleaning service for rooms is available.
Dining Options
RIT Dubai does not have meal plans either on campus or at the dorms. Students pay as they go. Students can prepare their own meals in shared kitchens within their housing and there are restaurants nearby that offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The UAE unites all Arab nations together, creating wonderful opportunities to try new and exotic cuisine. Food delivery in Dubai is popular and students can easily find a variety of takeout options nearby ranging from, but not limited to, American, Arabic and Italian. In addition, those with a taste for other cuisines can
sample the colorful dishes from Thailand, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to name a few. For more information about dining please check following link https://www.rit.edu/academicaffairs/global/food-dining-dubai
Courses
When you are approved for RIT Global Scholar Program at RIT Dubai, please work with your academic advisor to select classes that complete your necessary degree requirements and also provide you with new and interesting course options! You can visit RIT Dubai website for academic affairs https://www.rit.edu/dubai/inside/academic-affairs/academic-affairs Field trips are based on the courses that the students have registered for. Some courses include field trips, and some do not.
Application Process
Who can apply?
Students who have acquired Sophomore status and higher can apply for the program. It is required that the RIT Kosovo student spends a minimum of two semesters at home campus, before applying for the program, so we are sure that the student is academically strong to attend classes in a foreign country. The minimum GPA requirement is 3.0.
Deadline
The application should be submitted no later than 10 weeks before the start of the next semester https://www.rit.edu/dubai/inside/academic-affairs/academic-calendar. Students should prepare the Study Abroad @ RIT Dubai Application Form, write a personal statement, a copy of their passport, and 1 passport photo. Exact deadlines are communicated to students via e-mails and other promotional materials.
How to Apply
- Application documentation,
- Application procedure via application paper forms that will be provided in an e-mail communication to all students,
- Personal statement,
- Application form
- Housing application form
- Visa application form
- Passport copy,
- Passport photo,
- Copy of Traveler’s Medical Insurance for duration of stay.
Visa
All students studying abroad in Dubai must apply for a one-year student visa. The processing time for visa is approximately 15 working days. Students receive their visa digitally via e-mail prior to departure. It is important that you print your visa (on a color printer if possible) and bring it with you, along with your passport, so that you are registered under the appropriate status when you arrive in Dubai. Upon arrival in Dubai an RIT representative will take the student for a medical screening. The student will also be taken to the Emirates ID office to get a national ID card. Once the medical report comes through, the student’s passport will be taken to immigration so that the residence visa can be stamped in the passport. The residence visa is valid for one year and MUST be cancelled before the student leaves the country. To cancel the visa, the student must bring the passport to the Student Services office at RIT Dubai in the last month of the program.
Documentation for Visa Application:
- Fill out the Visa Application Form
- Clear scanned copy of the full first (bio) page of the passport in JPEG format
- Clear passport photograph with white background
- Pay the non-refundable visa fee (study abroad advisor will inform you about the correct fee amount).