Dubai, July 18, 2011: The trend of university students enrolling themselves in summer semesters by skipping summer holidays is gaining ground in the UAE, according to the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), one of the largest private universities in the country.

The 2011 summer semester which began in July saw a 10 per cent increase in new enrollments in various undergraduate and postgraduate programs at UOWD.

“Students are becoming increasingly aware of the need to complete their degrees in shortest possible time by sacrificing their holidays, so that they can take up employment sooner,” said Prof. Rob Whelan, President of UOWD. “We find that this option is attracting a good number of students, and the number has been going up significantly each year.”

“Further, the rising enrollments even in summer are indicative of the post-recession recovery and an endorsement of the robustness of the UAE as the region’s leading trade, tourism and education hub. UAE is delighted to play its part in boosting this sentiment through enhanced options and facilities for students.”

Of the total summer enrollments this year, 75 per cent were for post-graduate programs, while the rest were for undergraduate programs.

In the postgraduate segment, the highest number of enrollments were for Master of Strategic Marketing, Strategic Human Resource Management and International Business, followed by Engineering Management, Applied Finance & Banking, Business Administration, Logistics and IT management.

In the undergraduate section, Bachelor of Commerce attracted the highest enrollments, followed by Business Administration, Computer Science and Information Technology.

Students currently enrolled in the summer semester generally felt it makes sense to use the long summer period to continue their studies.

Radhika Gorajia, a Bachelor of Business Administration student from Burundi, said: “Four months of summer holidays are too long and as I like to keep myself busy I have enrolled in the summer semester. I have ten subjects left and by doing the summer semester, I can complete my degree faster. There will be time to think and time for holidays after I get my degree.”

Amina Radzholova, an employed Russian student who is doing her second bachelor’s degree, said: “The main reason for joining the summer semester is to complete my degree quickly. I want to study as much as possible in shortest possible time. I also plan to do my masters after this.”

Acharya Guru who has enrolled in Master in Logistics this summer after two and a half years of working in Muscat, said: “My idea is to get my masters at a faster pace and take up a better job. I came to Dubai because this field has a better scope here, as Dubai is a logistics hub and offers greater exposure to international trends.”

The summer semester is a more compact one at UOWD, with a shorter duration of 10 weeks, against 12 weeks for normal semesters.