UAE- Want to study in US? Check out options at varsity fair

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)Representatives of American higher education institutions student advisors and US embassy officials on Tuesday opened a four-day forum in Dubai designed to attract more students from the UAE to the US.

Known as the EducationUSA Middle East and North Africa Regional Forum the event will feature a university fair in the convention centre of the Grand Hyatt Dubai today for local students to familiarise themselves with American school options.

"This (event) is an opportunity to think together about better engaging students from the region and better supporting students in their interests in seeking educational opportunities in the US" said Jared Butto acting branch chief of EducationUSA in Washington DC. "We as a nation are invested in the quantity of international students who come and study in the US. We want to see the numbers go up."

Butto said EducationUSA is working to ensure that students from the region are enriched by their time studying in the US.

"It's equally important for us as a nation and as a higher education centre to focus on the quality of the experience that those students have both in terms of academic equality and ... the cultural and social experience that they are having when they come and study" he said. "We're also interested in having young people from around the world (to) get to know and engage with young people from the US."

Ethan Goldrich deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi noted that American universities have had significant success in attracting students from the UAE in recent years.

"The climb has been dramatic over the past 10 years. It's more than doubled from what it was in 2004 to over 2700 now" he said. "We're in a unique position in the UAE ... Our education outreach extends beyond the Emiratis to the diverse expat population that we have here." Goldrich noted that during the 2013-2014 academic year alone there was a 23 per cent increase in UAE students studying in the US. Additionally according to the 2014 Open Doors Report the Mena region is the fastest growing source for foreign students in the US having experienced a 20 per cent increase overall.

"We can all recall foreign students that we encountered and befriended when we went to US universities" he added. "In turn foreign students return home with a greater understanding of the United States ... Educational exchange is a mutually beneficial process that strengthens the people to people relationships upon which international cooperation is based. It sets the stage for deeper ties as those students become leaders in industry commerce culture and statecraft."

EducationUSA - which is supported by the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - is a network of over 400 advising centres in over 170 countries designed to promote and offer opportunities to local students. Of its advising centres 27 are located in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) including branches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Bernd Debusmann Jr. Originally from Mexico City I've been in Dubai since January 2015. Before arriving in in the UAE I worked as a general news reporter in TV and print in Mexico City NYC and Washington DC. I'm interested in defence issues politics technology aviation and history. In my spare time i enjoy traveling and football - I'm a keen fan of Chelsea FC. I developed an interest in the Middle East traveling through Jordan and the West Bank. I have a BA in Political Science from Dickinson College in the USA and an MA in International Journalism from City University London.