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United Arab Emirates Check current round

NYU Abu Dhabi Global Scholarship

This is the single most valuable undergraduate award realistically available to Sri Lankan students anywhere in the Gulf, and one of the most valuable in the world. NYU Abu Dhabi admits need-blind — the admissions committee does not see your financial circumstances — and then meets the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student. For a family unable to contribute, that means tuition, university accommodation, meals, health insurance and an annual round-trip flight home are all covered, along with funded study-away semesters at NYU New York, Shanghai or the global academic centres. The trade-off is selectivity: the acceptance rate is in the low single digits, cohorts are around 400 students drawn from more than 110 countries, and the assessment includes the Candidate Weekend, an all-expenses-paid multi-day evaluation in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lankan A-Level and IB students with exceptional results and a genuine intellectual profile should treat this as a serious target rather than a long shot.

Early Decision deadlines in November and January; Regular Decision in early January for the August intake

New York University Abu Dhabi

University-funded

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Coverage

Full Tuition + Housing + Meals + Insurance

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Travel

Annual Round-Trip Flight Home Included

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Study Away

Funded Semesters at NYU's Global Sites

info How this award actually works

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Who awards it

New York University Abu Dhabi — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.

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How you are considered

Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.

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What it covers

Full Tuition, Accommodation, Meals, Travel and Health Insurance. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.

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Where we come in

We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.

fact_check Eligibility Criteria

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Exceptional Academic Record

Outstanding Sri Lankan A-Level results, IB Diploma, or an equivalent secondary qualification. NYUAD reads the whole record, including the rigour of your subject choices and your school's context.

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Need-Blind Admission

Financial circumstances play no part in the admission decision for any applicant, regardless of nationality. Once admitted, aid is calculated to meet full demonstrated need — a genuinely rare combination.

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Intellectual Curiosity and Global Outlook

Essays and interviews probe how you think, not what you have collected. Cohorts are deliberately global — more than 110 nationalities — and the committee looks for students who will contribute to that.

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Candidate Weekend

Shortlisted applicants are flown to Abu Dhabi at NYUAD's expense for a multi-day evaluation involving classes, interviews and group work. Costs are covered, so financial circumstances do not prevent participation.

account_tree Application Process

Apply through the Common Application

NYU Abu Dhabi is applied to via the Common Application, selecting Abu Dhabi as your campus preference. Early Decision rounds carry a binding commitment; Regular Decision does not.

Submit the full academic record

School transcripts and predicted or achieved A-Level / IB results
Counsellor and teacher recommendations
Personal essay plus NYUAD-specific supplements
SAT or ACT where required — check the current testing policy for your admission year

Complete the financial aid application

Submit the CSS Profile or the equivalent NYUAD financial documentation. Admission is need-blind, but the aid package is calculated from these documents, so complete them fully and accurately.

Candidate Weekend

If invited, attend the Candidate Weekend in Abu Dhabi. Travel, accommodation and meals are covered by the university.

Offer and UAE student visa

Admitted students receive an aid package letter alongside the offer. NYUAD sponsors the UAE student residence visa and handles the process for enrolled students.

Why NYU Abu Dhabi?

Opened in 2010 as NYU's degree-granting liberal arts and science campus in the Gulf, NYUAD teaches roughly 2,000 students on Saadiyat Island with a student-faculty ratio close to 8:1. Its students move freely through NYU's global network, and its research centres span astrophysics, genomics, materials and social science. Degrees are awarded by New York University.

110+

Nationalities on Campus

Need-Blind

Admission for All Applicants

NYU

Degree Awarding Body

Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?

Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.

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