86 Students Awarded Prestigious NYUAD Scholarship
Eighty-six exceptional secondary school students have been awarded the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students, Class of 2026. The recipients will join the 18-month NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Summer Academy, a rigorous enrichment programme designed to prepare Emirati students for success at leading universities worldwide.
Now in its 15th year, the scholarship is one of the UAE’s most prestigious academic opportunities, recognising both intellectual achievement and leadership potential.
A Transformative Learning Experience
The Summer Academy provides Emirati students with a transformative blend of academic study and cultural immersion. Students take part in two intensive summer sessions at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus, combined with academic-year enrichment activities.
Graduates emerge with sharpened critical thinking, confidence, and leadership skills. Alumni have gone on to pursue higher education at Yale, Princeton, NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, the London School of Economics, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, King’s College London, and other world-class universities.
Leadership Reflections on the Scholarship
Her Highness Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised the programme’s role in shaping the next generation of leaders, stating:
“The Summer Academy represents a meaningful investment in our youth and in the future of our nation. It offers a space where students are empowered to think critically, build confidence, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. Each new cohort brings with it renewed potential and ambition, and I look forward to witnessing how these remarkable young minds will go on to shape the future both here in the UAE and beyond.”
Academic Excellence and Support
The programme begins after Grade 10 or Year 11 and runs for 18 months. Each summer, students spend five weeks in Abu Dhabi engaged in challenging coursework designed to foster curiosity and strengthen intellectual skills. Co-curricular activities support leadership, communication, and collaboration.
Faculty and staff provide ongoing academic and personal support, including evening sessions that deepen learning and build community. During Grade 11 or Year 12, students continue with online classes and refresher weekends. In Grade 12 or Year 13, the programme offers guidance through every stage of the college application process, from researching universities to completing essays.
The experience concludes with a graduation ceremony, where students and their families celebrate achievements and receive certificates of completion.
A Pathway to the Future
Reflecting on the impact of the programme, Fatma Abdulla, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Strategy and Planning at NYU Abu Dhabi, said:
“The Summer Academy is more than a pathway to university; it’s a transformative experience that challenges students to grow as thinkers, communicators, and leaders. Each year, we witness how this intensive program opens doors and broadens horizons for some of the UAE’s most promising young minds. We’re proud to welcome the Class of 2026 into this dynamic community of scholars.”
2026 Scholarship Recipients
The Class of 2026 recipients of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students are:
Abdulla Adeeb Abdulqader Abdulla Alajeel; Abdulla Mohammed Saeed Brouk Alhemeiri; Adam Ihsan Husein Haji Almarzooqi; Ahmed Khaled Ahmed Shaiban Almheiri; Ahmed Mansoor Ahmed Abdulla Almansoor; Aaesha Ahmed Saleh Ahmed Alshehhi; Aisha Ali Ahmed Hamel Alqubaisi; Alghala Ahmad Ibrahim Mohamed Alsaffar; Ali Khaled Ahmed Salem Alharbi; Ali Omar Karam Abdulla Alblooshi; Ali Salem Ahmed Abdullah Aldhanhani; Alreem Sarhan Hassan Mohamed Almaeeni; Alya Wassim Kabbani; Alyazeya Fawaz Ali AlAmodi; Dana Fadi Hasaan Helbaoui; Dana Mubarak Bakheet Suhail Alrashdi; Fahad Abdulaziz Mohammad Saleh Alzarouni; Farah Ahmed Jasim Naser Al Nuwais; Fatema Metaab Abdulazez Mohamed Alkarbi; Fatima Hadi Ali Salem Almansoori; Fatima Jasem Mohamed Amer AlHammadi; Fatima Saif Khalifa Saif Alkaabi; Hadif Ahmed Sulaiman Khalfan Alshamsi; Hajar Joudaane; Hala Walid Farouk AbouElala Mahmoud; Hamad Humaid Rashid Abdulla Alnuaimi; Hamad Khaled Mohamed Shareef Alawadhi; Hamad Mubarak Saeed Alkalily Alameri; Hamdan Abdulla Humaid Hassan; Hamed Mohammad Ishaq Mohammad Nasser; Haya Amer Abdulla Mohammad Abdulla; Hayat Mohammed Hamad Ali Binalwan; Hazza Ali Jafar Albani Alblooshi; Hessa Ahmad Abdulrahman Mohammad Abdulla; Hind Abdulkarim Abdulrahim Mohamed Alraeesi; Hind Abdulla Kareem Alrend Albalooshi; Hind S Yaser S Sharafuddin Sharaf AlHashmi; Jawaher Zayed Naser Al Jeaidi; Khadeeja Ahmed Alawi AlJafri AlHashmi; Khalid Mohamed Saeed Obaid Alansaari; Khalifa Khaled Eissa Badr Alhammadi; Khalifa Omar Ahmad Bin Tooq Almarri; Maha Abdulwahid Mohamed Ahmed AlObeidli; Mahmood Mohamed Mahmood Mohamed Alkhatib; Mahra Sultan Mohamed AlMarzooqi AlJneibi; Maitha Mohamed Ahmed Obaid Aljasmi; Mansoor Khalid Abdulla Mahmood Alhammadi; Mansour Mohamed Ali Karji Almarzooqi; Mariam Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi; Mariam Musallam Mohamed Saeed Alrashdi; Maryam Mohammed Musabbeh Binhamad Almehairi; Mayasa Hmood Thney Thalith Alshkeili; Meera Hamad Theyab Saif Almeqbaali; Meera Humaid Mohamed Humaid Alsuwaidi; Mohamed Khaled Mohamed Sultan AlMarzooqi; Mohamed Nayef Ali Yousif Al Ali; Мohammed Ali Мohamed Alhudouri Alhmoudi; Mohammed Fahed Mohammed Abdulla Almarzooqi; Mohamed Khaled Mohammed Obaid Alshehhi; Mohammed Khaled Abdulla Abdulla Alyassi; Mohammed Saleh Abdulla Mohamed Alalbi; Mohammed Sameer Mir Abdulaziz Ahmad Alkhoory; Mohammed Yasser Abdulbaqi Hasan Almarzooqi; Mohamed Othman Hasan Burhan Alblooshi; Mouza Saeed Daghash Abdulla Aljaberi; Mubarak Arif Mubarak Bin Ghasham Alshamsi; Nada Mohammad Abdulla Mohammad Abbas; Nada Mohammed Mahmood Ahmed Almudhareb; Noor Fayez Salem Karama Aljaberi; Nourah Taryam Hasan Qayed Subaihi; Ousha Mohamed Ali Abdulrahman Alharmoodi; Rashed Mohamed Husain Hamed Alozaibi; Rashid Ahmed Ali Salem Alnuaimi; Rodha Ali Salem Ahmed Alameri; Ruwdah Khalid Yousef Abdulla Alkhoori; Saeed Rashed Saeed Mohamed Alyammahi; Salama Salem Ali Saeed Alhassani; Saoud Faisal Maihed Ali Alsulaiti; Shaikha Yousef Mohamed Alshareef Alnuaimi; Shamma Khaled Ahmed Yahmoor Alshehhi; Shamma Mohammed Ahmed Sultan Al Hallami; Shamsa Salem Butti Salem Alqubaisi; Sultan Ahmed Mohammed Rada Almheiri; Sultan Omar Yahya Alamrie; Yousuf Amier Faisal Rabee AlAwadhi; Yousif Khalifa Yousif Ahmed Aljazi.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. Times Higher Education ranks NYU among the top 35 universities in the world, making NYU Abu Dhabi the highest globally ranked university in the UAE and MENA region. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 120 countries and speak over 100 languages. Together, NYU’s campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
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