1.3.4

Institutional Commitment

Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is committed to ensuring that students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds receive the financial, academic and personal support necessary to progress through higher education and successfully complete their qualifications.

Recognizing that financial hardship can affect students' ability to remain enrolled, meet academic requirements and graduate, CUD provides an integrated framework of student-support initiatives designed to reduce these barriers.

The University's approach addresses the needs of students from the bottom 20% of household income (bottom financial quintile) or an equivalent documented poverty-related income category in the UAE.

CUD combines need-based financial assistance, academic advising, student success services, wellbeing support and institutional monitoring to support students throughout their university journey.

The objective is to establish a continuous, targeted and coordinated approach to supporting low-income students from admission through to graduation, reducing the risk that financial disadvantage prevents successful degree completion.

Target Population and Identification of Low-Income Students

CUD's student-support initiatives are intended to assist students whose household financial circumstances may prevent them from accessing or completing higher education.

Eligibility for financial hardship assistance is assessed using documented evidence of financial need.

Supporting documentation may include:

• Household or family salary certificates.
• Bank statements demonstrating financial circumstances.
• Residential rental agreements.
• Other relevant documentation supporting an application for financial assistance.

The University's financial hardship assessment processes provide a means of identifying students who require additional financial support.

Students receiving need-based assistance may also benefit from wider academic, counselling, mentoring and student-success services offered by CUD.

Institutional Support Framework

CUD's approach to supporting students from low-income households comprises three complementary areas of assistance:

1. Financial Hardship and Educational Access Support: Reducing tuition-related financial barriers and facilitating continued enrolment.
2. Academic Success and Completion Support: Providing academic guidance, tutoring and progression monitoring to support successful degree completion.
3. Student Wellbeing and Living Support: Providing health, counselling, sponsorship coordination and other support services that help students manage challenges affecting their studies.

Together, these initiatives provide a framework through which financially disadvantaged students can access support at different stages of their university education.

1. Financial Hardship and Educational Access Support

Financial Hardship Scholarship

CUD provides a Financial Hardship Scholarship for eligible students experiencing documented financial difficulties.

The scholarship offers need-based tuition assistance of up to 40%, assessed individually according to financial circumstances and applicable scholarship conditions.

The programme is intended to reduce financial pressure on students and families, supporting continued enrolment and helping students remain engaged in their academic programmes.

Recipients are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.8 to continue receiving assistance under the stated scholarship conditions.

Financial assistance is complemented by academic monitoring intended to identify students who may require additional support.

Combined Scholarships and Tuition Assistance

CUD permits eligible students to combine certain scholarships and tuition discounts, subject to applicable institutional conditions and a stated maximum combined tuition reduction of 60%.

These arrangements provide additional financial flexibility for students whose household circumstances create barriers to higher education.

Flexible Tuition Payment Arrangements

Students experiencing financial difficulties may seek tuition payment arrangements through the Student Accounts Office.

Instalment arrangements can help eligible students manage tuition obligations over time rather than meeting the full amount through a single payment.

This support is particularly relevant where short-term household cash-flow difficulties may affect students' ability to remain enrolled.

External Sponsorship Coordination

CUD's Student Sponsorship Liaison Office facilitates arrangements between students and external sponsoring organisations.

Depending on the sponsorship agreement, support may contribute towards tuition fees, textbooks, accommodation or other approved educational expenses.

The sponsorship coordination function also supports communication between sponsors and the University regarding relevant student records and academic requirements.

Emergency Financial Assistance

CUD's financial support framework includes provision for discretionary assistance to students experiencing unexpected financial difficulties.

Potential areas of assistance include urgent educational and essential living expenses, subject to individual circumstances and institutional approval.

Such support is intended to reduce the risk that sudden financial hardship disrupts a student's academic progression.

2. Academic Success and Completion Support

Financial assistance alone may not address every challenge experienced by students from low-income households.

CUD therefore complements financial support with academic advising, tutoring, monitoring and other student-success services.

Student Success Centre

CUD's Student Success Centre provides free academic support services to help students strengthen their academic performance and meet programme requirements.

Services include:

• Individual and group tutoring.
• Support in mathematics, English and academic writing.
• Study strategies and examination preparation.
• Time management and note-taking workshops.
• Academic skills development.
• Guidance for students experiencing academic difficulties.

These services are available to students requiring additional academic assistance, including students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

By providing academic support without additional service fees, CUD seeks to reduce barriers to learning and support students who may otherwise struggle to meet programme requirements.

Academic Advising and First-Year Support

CUD provides academic orientation and advising services to help students understand programme requirements, plan their studies and make informed academic decisions.

The First-Year Experience initiative supports students transitioning into university through orientation, organised activities and opportunities for academic and social engagement.

These services are particularly relevant to students who may face additional challenges adjusting to higher education, including those from economically disadvantaged or under-resourced educational backgrounds.

Scholarship Monitoring and Academic Intervention

CUD's scholarship administration arrangements include monitoring the academic performance of scholarship recipients.

The Scholarship Coordinator reviews relevant academic performance information to identify recipients experiencing difficulties meeting scholarship conditions or academic requirements.

Students requiring additional assistance may be directed towards available academic advising, tutoring and other student-support resources.

This monitoring function connects financial assistance with academic progression and aims to identify difficulties before they lead to prolonged delays or discontinuation of studies.

Career Development and Employment Support

CUD's Career Services Centre provides career guidance, internship information and professional development support.

Services assist students in preparing for employment, developing professional competencies and exploring work experience opportunities.

For students experiencing financial hardship, access to career development resources can complement academic and financial support and contribute to longer-term economic opportunities following graduation.

Alumni Mentorship

CUD's alumni engagement and mentoring opportunities provide students with access to graduates and professional networks.

Mentoring can offer career guidance, professional advice, encouragement and support for students preparing to enter employment.

These opportunities form part of the University's wider academic and professional development support available to eligible students.

3. Student Wellbeing and Living Support

CUD recognises that successful university completion can be affected by challenges beyond tuition expenses and academic performance.

The University's support services therefore extend to healthcare, counselling, transportation arrangements and assistance with administrative matters.

Health Centre

CUD operates an on-campus Health Centre offering basic healthcare and first-aid support.

Services include assistance with minor illnesses and injuries, health education and access to nursing support.

These services help students address health-related difficulties that may otherwise interrupt participation in academic activities.

Mental Health and Counselling Services

CUD provides confidential counselling and student wellbeing support without additional counselling fees.

Services are intended to help students manage personal, emotional and psychological challenges, including stress, anxiety and difficulties adjusting to university life.

These services are available to students requiring assistance, including students experiencing financial hardship.

Access to counselling can complement academic and financial support where personal circumstances affect student wellbeing and continued participation in higher education.

Student Accommodation and Transportation

CUD provides information and access to university accommodation arrangements designed to offer students practical residential options near campus.

Student accommodation includes access to selected utilities and facilities under applicable residence arrangements.

Complimentary shuttle transportation between university residences and campus is provided for eligible resident students.

These services can help students manage practical transportation requirements and living arrangements while undertaking their studies.

Administrative and Sponsorship Assistance

CUD provides administrative guidance relating to student sponsorship, visa processes and other relevant university procedures.

Students receiving external sponsorship may obtain assistance through the Student Sponsorship Liaison Office to facilitate coordination with sponsoring organisations.

This administrative support is intended to help students manage requirements that may affect their continued enrolment.

4. Institutional Performance and Programme Reach — Academic Year 2024–25

CUD's institutional records provide quantitative evidence of its financial access and student-support activities.

Financial Assistance and Student Access

In academic year 2024–25, CUD reported that 940 of its 1,733 students received financial assistance associated with poverty, representing 54.24% of the reported student population.

During the same period, 134 of 478 newly admitted undergraduate students (28.03%) were identified as belonging to the bottom financial quintile or an approved equivalent low-income category.

These figures demonstrate the scale of CUD's financial assistance activities and its efforts to expand higher education participation among financially disadvantaged students.

They also provide an institutional basis for coordinating ongoing support for students who may experience financial barriers during their studies.

Historical Financial Assistance Coverage

Between 2022–23 and 2024–25, the reported number of students receiving poverty-related financial assistance increased from 618 to 940, representing approximately 52.1% growth.

The proportion of students receiving assistance varied during this period as CUD's overall student population expanded.

These results reflect the continuing scale of institutional financial assistance provided to students facing economic disadvantage.

5. Graduation Outcomes and Student Completion

CUD monitors student completion outcomes to understand the challenges faced by scholarship recipients and inform its student-support priorities.

Scholarship Student Completion Performance — 2024–25

In academic year 2024–25, CUD recorded 159 scholarship students expected to complete their programmes, of whom 91 graduated on time.

This represents a reported on-time completion rate of 57.23% for the scholarship cohort.

The result was below CUD's stated institutional completion target of 85%, highlighting the importance of continued financial and academic support for students at risk of delayed graduation.

The scholarship-cohort result provides a basis for monitoring student success. Assessment of completion specifically among bottom-financial-quintile students depends on the income eligibility classification of the relevant scholarship recipients.

The University recognises that financial, academic and personal circumstances may affect students' ability to complete their programmes within the prescribed period.

Its coordinated student-support framework is intended to address these challenges through financial assistance, academic monitoring and access to relevant student services.

6. Coordination, Monitoring and Institutional Responsibilities

CUD's student-support approach involves several offices with complementary responsibilities.

These services provide complementary forms of assistance addressing financial, academic and personal circumstances that may affect student completion.

The monitoring of scholarship eligibility and academic performance supports the identification of students who may require additional institutional assistance.

7. Continuous Improvement and Completion Priorities

CUD recognises that supporting financially disadvantaged students requires an ongoing approach extending beyond the initial award of financial assistance.

The 2024–25 scholarship completion figures identify a gap between actual on-time completion and the University's stated target.

CUD's student-success priorities therefore focus on strengthening existing support mechanisms and improving coordination between relevant services.

Strengthening Early Academic Intervention

Monitoring academic performance can help identify scholarship recipients who may require tutoring, advising or additional academic assistance.

Supporting Financial Continuity

Need-based scholarships, flexible payment arrangements and sponsorship coordination are intended to help students manage financial obligations that could affect continued enrolment.

Improving Access to Student-Success Services

The University seeks to encourage effective use of free tutoring, academic advising, counselling and other support services among students experiencing academic or personal challenges.

Monitoring Graduation Outcomes

The University aims to assess student completion outcomes using consistent cohort definitions, enabling it to identify barriers to timely graduation and evaluate progress against its completion objectives.

Strengthening Coordination Across Services

Collaboration among scholarship administration, Student Affairs, academic advising and the Registrar supports a more integrated institutional response to students experiencing financial and academic difficulties.

8. Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

CUD's financial hardship assistance and student-success initiatives contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals.

SDG 1 — No Poverty

Providing financial assistance and support services to students experiencing poverty helps reduce socioeconomic barriers to higher education and supports opportunities for long-term economic advancement.

SDG 4 — Quality Education

Academic advising, tutoring, student-success services and completion monitoring promote inclusive educational participation and support successful learning outcomes.

SDG 10 — Reduced Inequalities

Targeted financial assistance and accessible student-support services help address disadvantages associated with household income and contribute to reducing inequalities in educational opportunity.

Institutional Commitment

Canadian University Dubai remains committed to supporting students from low-income households throughout their higher education journey.

The University's approach combines financial hardship assistance, academic monitoring, student-success services and wellbeing support to address barriers that may affect continued enrolment and graduation.

By integrating need-based assistance with access to academic and personal support, CUD seeks to provide a continuous and coordinated framework that helps financially disadvantaged students progress towards successful degree completion.

Responsible Offices: Office of Student Affairs, Scholarship Committee, Office of the Registrar and relevant student-support services.

Contact: scholarship@cud.ac.ae

Primary Reporting Period: Academic Year 2024–25, with historical financial assistance comparisons from 2022–23 and 2023–24.