10.6.2 Canadian University Dubai — Tracking Applications and Admissions of Underrepresented Groups
Institutional Commitment
Canadian University Dubai (CUD) is committed to promoting equitable access to higher education and monitoring participation among student groups that may experience barriers to university admission.
The University recognises that inclusive admissions require not only non-discriminatory policies but also information about who applies, who is admitted and which groups may require additional support.
CUD maintains institutional records concerning student applications, admissions and demographic characteristics, alongside scholarship and financial assistance information.
These records provide a basis for understanding student participation and identifying potential inequalities in access to higher education.
CUD's documented monitoring includes gender-based application and intake information, admission outcomes for students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, participation by international students from developing countries and selected information concerning applicants with disabilities.
The University's approach is supported by its formally approved Non-Discrimination Policy, admissions procedures and scholarship arrangements.
1. Monitoring Applications and Admissions
CUD recognises the importance of distinguishing between different stages of access to higher education.
These stages include:
- Applications: Prospective students who submit applications for university admission.
- Admissions or Intake: Applicants admitted to university programmes or recorded as entering the University.
- Financial Assistance: Students receiving scholarships or other qualifying financial support.
- Completion: Students who successfully complete academic programmes.
These measures serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.
Application and admissions records provide direct evidence of access to university education, while financial assistance and completion data provide supplementary information about student support and educational outcomes.
CUD uses institutional data to examine participation among different student populations and support its wider commitment to equitable educational opportunities.
2. Gender-Based Applications and Admissions
CUD has historically published gender-disaggregated student application and intake records.
The University's 2023 institutional data provide the following breakdown.
Applications and Intake by Gender — 2023
| Measure | Female Students | Male Students | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 1,600 | 1,400 | 3,000 |
| Recorded intake | 1,300 | 1,100 | 2,400 |
Gender Representation
| Measure | Female Share | Male Share |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | 53.33% | 46.67% |
| Recorded intake | 54.17% | 45.83% |
The 2023 records show that female applicants represented approximately 53.33% of applications, while female students represented approximately 54.17% of recorded intake.
These figures demonstrate that CUD collected and reported gender-disaggregated information at two important stages of university access.
The data provide evidence of historical monitoring of gender representation among prospective and incoming students.
Application and intake figures are reported as institutional totals; they should not automatically be interpreted as a same-cohort admission conversion rate without confirming how the underlying records were compiled.
3. Tracking Admissions of Financially Disadvantaged Students — 2024–25
CUD recognises that financial hardship can prevent academically qualified students from accessing higher education.
The University maintains financial assistance and admission-related records that support monitoring of participation among students experiencing economic disadvantage.
Undergraduate Admissions from Financially Disadvantaged Backgrounds
CUD's 2024–25 institutional admission records report:
| Admissions Indicator | Academic Year 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| Newly admitted undergraduate students | 478 |
| Newly admitted students identified as belonging to the bottom household income quintile or an approved poverty-related equivalent | 134 |
| Proportion of reported undergraduate admissions from this group | 28.03% |
The University's records indicate that 134 of 478 newly admitted undergraduate students in 2024–25 were identified within the relevant financially disadvantaged group.
This represents 28.03% of the reported undergraduate admissions population.
The measure provides group-specific information on admission outcomes for students experiencing financial barriers to higher education.
The classification is based on the University's reported bottom-income-quintile or approved poverty-related eligibility definition.
These figures relate specifically to newly admitted undergraduate students and should not be confused with the broader university population receiving financial assistance.
Financial Hardship Scholarship
CUD's Financial Hardship Scholarship provides need-based tuition assistance to eligible students experiencing documented financial difficulty.
The scholarship application process considers supporting financial documentation, which may include family income information, bank statements, rental agreements and other relevant evidence of need.
The programme provides an additional institutional mechanism for identifying and supporting students experiencing financial disadvantage.
Scholarship application records and admissions records represent distinct stages of the University's student support framework.
4. Monitoring International Students from Developing Countries — 2024–25
CUD maintains records identifying international students originating from developing countries.
These records provide additional information concerning the international composition of the University's incoming student population.
First-Year International Student Participation
| Indicator | Academic Year 2024–25 |
|---|---|
| First-year international students from developing countries | 205 |
| Students within this group receiving scholarships | 50 |
| Scholarship coverage rate within this group | 24.39% |
During 2024–25, CUD recorded 205 first-year international students from developing countries, of whom 50 received scholarships.
The scholarship coverage rate among this reported student group was 24.39%.
These figures demonstrate the University's capacity to identify and report participation among international first-year students from developing countries, alongside scholarship receipt.
The developing-country classification is distinct from individual financial disadvantage and does not, by itself, establish poverty-related need.
The reported scholarship figures are supplementary to application and admissions monitoring; they do not represent the total number of applications received from developing-country applicants.
5. Monitoring Applicants with Disabilities
CUD recognises that applicants with disabilities, including Students of Determination, may experience barriers to higher education.
The University's student-support framework includes a Students of Determination Scholarship and provisions for reasonable accommodation.
Historical Disability-Related Application Data
CUD's historical institutional reporting includes a gender breakdown for applicants identified as having special educational needs.
| Applicant Group | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| Reported special-needs applications | 40.91% | 59.09% |
These percentages demonstrate that a gender-disaggregated breakdown was reported for disability-related applications.
The available historical figures do not establish the absolute number of applicants, the corresponding admission outcomes or a comparable measure for academic year 2024–25.
Accordingly, they are presented as historical evidence of demographic categorisation rather than a current disability admission rate.
Students of Determination Support
CUD's Non-Discrimination Policy expressly recognises disability and commits the University to providing reasonable accommodations for equal access to education and university services.
The University's Students of Determination Scholarship provides an additional mechanism for supporting eligible students.
These arrangements complement the University's monitoring of applicants and students requiring disability-related support.
6. Institutional Financial Assistance Records
CUD also maintains information on students receiving financial assistance because of poverty-related circumstances.
These figures provide supplementary context concerning the financial accessibility of higher education.
Financial Assistance Coverage
| Academic Year | Total Reported Students | Low-Income Students Receiving Financial Aid | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 1,039 | 618 | 59.48% |
| 2023–24 | 1,095 | 875 | 79.91% |
| 2024–25 | 1,733 | 940 | 54.24% |
In academic year 2024–25, CUD reported 940 students receiving financial aid associated with poverty-related circumstances, representing 54.24% of its reported student population.
These figures show the extent of financial assistance provision and demonstrate the University's ability to report information concerning financially disadvantaged students.
They are not application counts or admission conversion rates and are therefore presented separately from the 2024–25 undergraduate admission measure.
7. Supplementary Gender-Based Completion Records
CUD's historical institutional reporting also provides completion and graduation information by gender.
Graduation — 2023
| Gender | Graduates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 230 | 54.12% |
| Male | 195 | 45.88% |
| Total | 425 | 100% |
The University also published an additional historical category of 2,200 reported completers, comprising 1,155 female and 1,045 male students.
These figures provide supplementary information concerning gender representation in educational outcomes.
They are not used as substitutes for application or admission measures.
8. Institutional Approach to Data Monitoring
CUD's reporting of student applications, admissions and participation provides a basis for evaluating educational access across student groups.
The institutional approach incorporates several types of records.
| Monitoring Area | Reported Information | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | Applications and intake by female/male category | Understanding gender representation at admission stages |
| Financial disadvantage | Admissions among students within the reported low-income group | Monitoring access among financially disadvantaged students |
| Scholarship participation | Financial assistance and scholarship records | Understanding support available to eligible students |
| International background | First-year international students from developing countries | Monitoring international participation |
| Disability | Historical special-needs application breakdown | Understanding reported representation among applicants with disabilities |
| Completion | Historical graduation and completion figures by gender | Supplementary monitoring of educational outcomes |
These records provide information relevant to CUD's broader objective of evaluating participation and identifying potential barriers to access.
Information relating to sensitive personal characteristics requires appropriate safeguards, respect for privacy and adherence to applicable institutional and legal requirements.
9. Institutional Policies Supporting Equal Access
CUD's admissions monitoring is supported by its formal policies on non-discrimination and student assistance.
Non-Discrimination Policy (GM-PO-1N)
Approved: 10 May 2024
Approving authority: Board of Trustees
The University's Non-Discrimination Policy expressly provides that admissions are to be administered without discrimination.
The policy recognises diversity across age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, socioeconomic status and other characteristics.
It establishes a formal institutional commitment to equal opportunities.
Scholarship Policy (FR-PO-9A)
CUD's Scholarship Policy establishes different categories of student assistance, including the Financial Hardship Scholarship and Students of Determination Scholarship.
These arrangements provide support for eligible students who may face socioeconomic or disability-related barriers to education.
Admissions Requirements and Procedures
The University's admissions framework establishes academic entry requirements and procedures relevant to undergraduate and graduate study.
These arrangements provide the operational context within which application and admission outcomes are recorded.
10. Use of Institutional Information
CUD recognises the value of monitoring application, admission and participation patterns to support equitable educational access.
Such information can assist the University in:
- Understanding the composition of applicant and incoming student populations.
- Identifying differences in participation among demographic groups.
- Examining potential barriers affecting financially disadvantaged applicants.
- Understanding the reach of scholarship arrangements.
- Supporting informed discussions about educational inclusion.
- Identifying areas where additional monitoring or support may be appropriate.
The University's historical and 2024–25 institutional reporting provides a basis for these activities.
11. Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 10 — Reduced Inequalities
Monitoring student participation across different population groups contributes to understanding inequalities in access to higher education.
CUD's reporting of gender, financial disadvantage, international background and disability-related participation supports the objectives of SDG Target 10.3.
SDG 4 — Quality Education
Application and admission monitoring helps institutions understand participation in tertiary education and provides information relevant to improving educational access.
SDG 5 — Gender Equality
Gender-disaggregated application, admission and graduation records provide evidence relevant to evaluating educational participation by women and men.
Institutional Commitment
Canadian University Dubai is committed to understanding and promoting equitable access to higher education through institutional application, admission and student participation records.
The University's historical records demonstrate gender-based tracking of applications and intake, while its 2024–25 data provide information concerning admission of financially disadvantaged undergraduate students and participation by first-year international students from developing countries.
These measures complement CUD's formally approved Non-Discrimination Policy and targeted scholarship arrangements.
Together, they provide an evidence base for understanding educational participation and supporting CUD's commitment to inclusive higher education.
Relevant Institutional Functions: Office of Admissions, Registrar, Scholarship Committee and institutional reporting functions.
Primary Reporting Period: Academic Year 2024–25, with historical comparative evidence from 2023 and earlier academic years.