DUBAI: Pakistani students in the UAE will now be able to get scholarships worth one million dirhams (AED) and discounts of up to 50 percent on tuition fees as part of agreements between the Pakistan Consulate in Dubai and a number of universities.
The agreements aim to encourage students from UAE's Pakistani community to continue their higher education in the UAE, instead of opting to move back to Pakistan due to expensive fee structures in the Emirates, the Consul General of Pakistan to the UAE, Ahmed Amjad Ali, told Arab News on Monday.
The consulate signed an agreement with the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (Szabist) in Dubai on Sunday and with Skyline University College, in Sharjah on Monday, Ali said.
“Agreements with two other universities, Bolton University in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Dar University, will also be signed soon as details are being finalized with them,” he added. “Many of our students had no choice but to head back home since not many affordable options were available for them in the UAE. We want to encourage them to continue their studies here while staying close to their families.”
Szabist charges up to AED 2,500 per course for an undergraduate programme.
Students can apply for the new scholarships through the consulate which will then refer them to the university of their choice. A minimum GPA of 2.50 is required to be eligible.  
Rakesh Gaur, Director of Marketing and Creative Communication at Skyline University College, told Arab News that a fund of AED one million had been allocated for students from the Pakistani community. As per the Memorandum of Understanding, the university would also hold workshops and webinars for Pakistani students. Skyline currently offers business and IT undergraduate and graduate programmes.
“We have divided the scholarship into three metrics of 15, 25 and 50 percent with a minimum GPA of 2.50,” Gaur said. To apply for a 50 percent scholarship, students had to achieve a GPA of 3.0 and maintain it through the entire programme.
Skyline charges AED 178,500 for a two-year BBA programme. It will soon open applications for its January term.
Professor Dr Humayun Naeem, head of the Dubai campus of Szabist University, told Arab News that a 20 percent discount on fees would be applicable for all students who had been recommended by the Pakistan Consulate.
“With this discount, each student would be able to get AED 1,600 off per Bachelor of Business Administration programme effective February onwards,” he said. “We are very happy to support students from our community especially in the times of this pandemic where students might have to discontinue their education.”