MBZUAI Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Cohort Of Over 400 Students For Fall 2025 Academic Year

Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has enrolled its largest group of students for the Fall 2025 term, welcoming 403 new students. This intake includes the university's first undergraduate class and new graduate cohorts in established programmes such as Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics. Additionally, it marks the first admissions into the Master of Science in Statistics & Data Science and Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence.

The university received over 8,000 applications for its Bachelor and graduate programmes this semester. This resulted in a selective acceptance rate of 5 per cent, highlighting MBZUAI's esteemed reputation and its ability to attract top talent from both the UAE and globally.

Timothy Baldwin, MBZUAI Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing, stated that this year marks the arrival of their largest cohort of graduate students alongside their inaugural undergraduate class. He emphasised that artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world beyond traditional education models. To harness its full potential globally, MBZUAI invests significantly in updating its programmes to align with modern AI research methodologies and workflows.

Baldwin added that MBZUAI has quickly established itself among the top 10 AI universities worldwide based on research credentials. The introduction of undergraduate and Master's programmes in Applied AI aims to develop world-leading courses aligned with the UAE’s National Strategy for AI 2031 and support Abu Dhabi’s growing AI ecosystem.

The Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence programme offers two streams: AI for Business and AI for Engineering. It combines technical expertise with leadership skills, hands-on entrepreneurship, and industry experience. The first class includes 115 undergraduate students from over 25 countries, with more than 25 per cent being UAE Nationals.

Baldwin noted that future jobs are being shaped by AI today. It's crucial that future generations have the tools and skills to adapt to these changes. He highlighted that MBZUAI's talented students learn about AI through practical experiences, setting a new global benchmark for technical depth and real-world relevance.

Global Representation

For Fall 2025, MBZUAI's student body exceeds 700 individuals from more than 47 nationalities. Undergraduate programmes include students from Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and the UK. Postgraduate programmes feature students from Canada, China, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Serbia, UAE, UK, USA, and Vietnam.

The university continues to attract outstanding students; notably 151 incoming graduate students (27.5 per cent) hold degrees from top-ranked computer science universities like Cornell University and Tsinghua University.

Orientation Week

MBZUAI has initiated an immersive Orientation Week to welcome new students into its culture of academic excellence and innovation driven by AI. This programme includes academic sessions alongside mentorship activities and cultural events celebrating UAE heritage.

A key highlight is the Orientation Mini Fair where partners showcase resources for academic success and career development. Orientation Week aims to foster a strong sense of belonging among students while laying foundations for successful university experiences.

With inputs from WAM