Application Requirements

MAKE SURE YOU GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION BEFORE THE DEADLINE.

BEFORE YOU START AN APPLICATION, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE APPLICATION TYPE.

New Students (Applicants who have completed their bachelor level education must apply as new applicants)

AUS’s minimum admission requirements depend on the applicant’s type of education program and certificate. 

To make sure you have all the information and documents needed to submit your application, click here.

Transfer Students (Applicants enrolled in other universities, colleges or any institution of higher education prior to submitting an application must apply as transfer applicants)

Transfer applicants may transfer up to six graduate credit hours from recognized graduate schools with a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4.00 or its equivalent.

Transfer of credit will be subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. For more information, refer to Transfer of Credit Hours section in the Graduate Catalog.

Returning Students (Graduate students in good academic standing who leave AUS for more than two consecutive semesters, inclusive of semesters of complete course withdrawal, must apply as returning applicants)

Returning Students are required to fill a Returning Student Form. Readmission will be subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. For more information, refer to Returning Student section in the Graduate Catalog.

Second Degree Students (Holders of a Doctoral degree must apply as new applicants)

Holders of a doctoral degree awarded by AUS or independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division and by AUS may apply for admission to an AUS Doctoral degree program.

Graduate courses applied towards a previously earned doctoral degree may be considered for transfer of credit hours. For more information, refer to Transfer of Credit Hours section in the Graduate Catalog.

Non Degree Students (Applicants who wish to enroll in courses at AUS without pursuing a degree must apply as new applicants)

Applicants who intend to apply as Non-degree students, should notify Graduate Admissions at infodesk

Non-degree graduate applicants must meet the same minimum admission criteria established for full admission.

To make sure you have all the information and documents needed to submit your application, click here. 

Exchange Students (Students who wish to take courses at AUS in the context of a semester exchange program must apply as exchange applicants)

An exchange student is not formally admitted to American University of Sharjah but is allowed to take courses at the university in the context of a semester exchange program.

Exchange students should check with their home institutions about the transferability of AUS credit hours to their programs.

For detailed information click here.

Transient Students (Applicants who have obtained their undergraduate or graduate degrees from AUS and have returned to take extra course(s) at AUS must apply as transient applicants) 

Applicants must submit to the Office of the Registrar the complete Transient Student Application available here

In courses with enrollment limits, priority is given to AUS students. Normally, a student can register as a transient student for no more than one academic year.

For further information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at [email protected]

Visiting Students (Applicants who wish to take courses at AUS for transfer back to their home institution must apply as visiting students)

A visiting student is one who is not formally admitted to American University of Sharjah but is allowed to take courses at AUS for transfer back to the student’s home institution.

Visiting students should check with their home institutions about the transferability of AUS credit hours to their programs.

For detailed information click here.

GENERAL REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 

Applicants are required to upload clear scans of the following supplemental items (required documents) by logging in to apply.aus.edu

• official bachelor's and master's university transcripts and official graduation certificates certified by the appropriate authorities*
• colored passport scan
• colored UAE national ID scan (for UAE nationals and residents)
• colored UAE residence visa scan (for UAE residents)
• English Language Proficiency Test Scores
• Graduate Record Examinations (General GRE) scores (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing). To mail score reports directly to AUS, choose reporting code 4028 (required for PhD-ESM program only) 
• Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores (required for PhD BA program only, if GMAT is not available General GRE test scores are acceptable) 
• submit three reference letters to the Office of Enrollment Management–Graduate Admissions along with the application using the AUS online template. At least two of the letters are to be from an academic advisor/faculty member familiar with the applicant’s background.
• submit a Statement of Purpose (about 1,500 words) describing experiences, research interests, and reasons for applying for admission to the doctorate program
• updated CV

Please note that other documents might be required based on specific program requirements.

All applicants are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of AED 450.

 Applicants who earned their undergraduate degrees from universities outside the UAE must present Certificate Equivalency.

*Uncertified scans will be accepted to start the application process. However, applicants will be required to show certified original documents in person before enrolling at AUS. Applicants graduating from universities outside the UAE are to certify (attest) documents from the country of origin: certification is required by the authorized educational authority, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs and the UAE Embassy. Applicants graduating from UAE universities are required to certify (attest) documents from the UAE Ministry of Education. Visit attestations for more information. Applicants who have graduated recently and have not received their graduation certificates can submit a Letter from the Office of the Registrar confirming their graduation date. This letter does not replace the required attested graduation certificate which must be presented, once available, to be able to register for courses.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

For full admission to a doctoral degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

• hold a relevant master’s degree from an independently accredited university recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division and by AUS. have attained a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 on a scale of 4.00 or its equivalent  in the master's degree as required by the program.

• submit official attested bachelor’s and master’s university transcripts and attested graduation certificates*
• applicants with a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree obtained outside the UAE must submit an equivalency of their degree(s) from the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division**
• submit a passing English Language Proficiency Test Scores
• submit Graduate Record Examinations (General GRE) scores (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing). To mail score reports directly to AUS, choose reporting code 4028 (required for the PhD-ESM program only) 
• submit Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) scores (required for PhD BA program only, if GMAT is not available General GRE test scores are acceptable) 
• submit three reference letters to the Office of Enrollment Management–Graduate Admissions along with the application using the AUS online template. At least two of the letters are to be from an academic advisor/faculty member familiar with the applicant’s background.
• submit a Statement of Purpose (about 1,500 words) describing experiences, research interests, and reasons for applying for admission to the doctorate program
• colored passport scan colored UAE national ID scan (for UAE nationals and residents)
• colored UAE residence visa scan (for UAE residents)
• updated CV

Please note that other documents might be required based on specific program requirements.
All applicants are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of AED 450

* Uncertified scans will be accepted to start the application process. However, applicants will be required to show certified original documents in person before enrolling at AUS. Applicants graduating from universities outside the UAE are to certify (attest) documents from the country of origin: certification is required by the authorized educational authority, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs and the UAE Embassy. Applicants graduating from UAE universities are required to certify (attest) documents from the UAE Ministry of Education. For more information, refer to Required Attestations

**Applicants not residing in the UAE who have applied for Certificate of Equivalency, but who have not concluded the equivalency process by the time of registration, would be given the chance to register for the first semester provided that they sign the Graduate Admission Contract.  Applicants selecting this option must present a copy of the MOE Application Receipt. For more information, refer to UAE Certificate of Equivalency.

For transfer admission to a doctoral degree program at AUS, an applicant must meet the following requirements:

Applicants enrolled in other universities, colleges or any institution of higher education prior to submitting an application must apply as transfer applicants (Student Type: Transfer). Transfer of credit will be subject to AUS academic rules and regulations. The decision regarding credits awarded is made solely by the appropriate academic division dean/department head at AUS. See the AUS Graduate Catalog for more information.

In addition to the documents required for the general application, transfer applicants are required to arrange for an official university transcript to be sent in a sealed envelope directly from their college/university, along with course descriptions.

For information about the credit transfer policy, see the AUS Graduate Catalog for more information.

To be eligible to apply as a transfer applicant, applicants must:

• be in good academic standing, i.e., not on probation or dismissed from the institution from which they are transferring
• be transferring from a recognized and accredited institution of higher education offering learning experiences equivalent to those offered at AUS and have successfully completed one or more semesters in that institution*
• meet the AUS General University Requirements for Graduate Admission (full admission or conditional admission).

Transfer applicants are required to pay a non-refundable transcript evaluation fee of 400 AED (deductible from tuition upon joining AUS).

*A graduate student may transfer up to six graduate credit hours from recognized graduate schools at independently accredited universities recognized by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division. Only graduate-level courses completed with a grade of B or higher will be evaluated for transfer credit. Courses completed more than five years from the start date of the first semester of study of the current graduate degree program at AUS are not transferable

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

English Language Proficiency Tests

Applicants are requested to submit valid score reports from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Emirates Standardized Test (EmSAT Achieve-English).

TOEFL and IELTS score reports are valid for two calendar years

IELTS Academic/ IELTS Indicator	TOEFL iBT/TOEFL iBT at Home Edition	TOEFL iTP	EmSAT Achieve-English
6.5	80	550	1550

 

English Language Proficiency Tests Exemption

1) Applicants who completed their Master's degree program at AUS are exempted from the English Language proficiency tests.

2) Applicants who have earned a master’s degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction and who have met the AUS English language proficiency requirement for full graduate admission (IELTS 6.5, TOEFL iBT 80) at the time of their admission to that master’s degree program are exempt from the English language proficiency admission requirement.

Decisions regarding exemptions are made by the Office of Enrollment Management- Graduate Admissions committee on a case-by-case basis.

UAE CERTIFICATE OF EQUIVALENCY 

Applicants who earned their undergraduate or graduate degrees from universities outside the UAE must present a Certificate of Equivalency for their graduation certificates from the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division. Applicants who earned their degrees from universities inside the UAE may be required to present Certificate of Equivalency for their graduation certificates from the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division. In such cases, Graduate Admissions will notify the applicants.

Please note that AUS is not involved in the equivalency process or decisions. Issuing of Certificate Equivalency is controlled fully by the UAE Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Affairs Division.

• The first step is registering online on at www.moe.gov.ae under MOE Eservices – Service Catalog and getting a registration number. For a detailed list of the requirements and documents, visit www.moe.gov.ae under Certificate Equivalency section or contact 80051115; or email [email protected].
• Applicants have to prepare and attest all the required university and high school certificates and transcripts before leaving their home country and/or the country in which they graduated.
• For information about university certificates and transcripts attestations, please see the section Required Attestations.
• Equivalency applications have to be submitted in person in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Applicants are encouraged to visit the UAE and submit their applications at least one month prior to the first day of class.
• Applicants who have applied for Certificate of Equivalency but have not concluded the Equivalency process by the time of registration would be given the chance to register for the first semester provided that they sign the Graduate Admission Contract. Applicants selecting this option must present a copy of the MOHE Application Receipt.

REFERENCE LETTERS

If you are applying to a PhD program offered by AUS you are required to submit three reference letters to the Office of Enrollment Management–Graduate Admissions along with your doctoral application using the required online template.

To request the reference letter follow the below steps:

1. Log in to your application on apply.aus.edu
2. From the "Supplemental Items & Documents" tab, please go to "Recommendation Requests" section
3. Click on "Start" next to PhD Reference Letter One, PhD Reference Letter Two and PhD Reference Letter Three
4. A new window will pop up, please fill in the required fields (provide your referee's official email address; reference letters received from non-official email accounts or from applicants’ email accounts will not be accepted).
5. Your referees will receive an email requesting them to complete your reference letters (Reference Letter status will be sent).

At least two of the reference letters must be from an academic advisor or faculty member familiar with the applicant’s background.​