Nearly 500 students from over 80 countries join NYU Abu Dhabi as the Class of 2024
ABU DHABI, 20th October, 2020 (WAM) -- NYU Abu Dhabi, NYUAD, has welcomed its eleventh class of 490 students from 82 countries and six continents who speak more than 75 languages.
With the incoming Class of 2024, the undergraduate student population now stands at over 1,600 from over 115 countries.
More than 14,400 prospective students from across the world applied to join NYUAD’s Class of 2024. The yield for the incoming class – the percentage of students who choose to attend NYUAD after being admitted – was 78 percent, making the University one of the most highly selective of any in the world, and particularly significant given the ongoing global pandemic.
Nineteen percent of students are first-generation university students, meaning that, from their immediate family, they are the first to attend university.
Emirati and American citizens make up the largest groups of students by nationality, with 20 percent UAE Nationals and eight percent from the US. The next largest cohorts include students from India, South Korea, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Egypt, China, Nepal, and Taiwan. For the first time, students from Antigua and Barbuda, Myanmar, and Nicaragua are attending the university.
NYU President Andrew Hamilton welcomed the new class, saying: "On behalf of the entire NYU community, I’m pleased to welcome the NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2024! You have joined an extraordinary, curious, purpose-driven, and passionate community both at NYUAD and across NYU’s broader global network. Although you may be starting your college experience remotely, I urge you to cultivate that community and help it thrive. Together, your class will forge bonds of resilience and strength through shared experience that will help you to succeed and grow throughout your time at NYUAD and far beyond."
NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann said: "I am delighted to welcome our eleventh class – our largest and most diverse yet – to NYU Abu Dhabi. Now entering its second decade, our university was founded on the belief that engaging with people who are different from us is a valuable and necessary part of education. We see this across our campus community as our students – some 1,600 undergraduates from over 115 countries and speaking more than 115 languages – encounter new perspectives and convictions with openness, engagement, and respect.'' ''Whether they want to pursue computer science, biotechnology, behavioral economics, developmental psychology, interactive media, poetry, or any number of diverse fields, collectively, the Class of 2024 are poised to flourish as they deepen their understanding of the world and chart their own paths towards making a meaningful difference,'' Westermann added..