New York University Abu Dhabi

New York University Abu Dhabi opened in 2010 and is one of NYU's three degree-granting campuses, alongside New York and Shanghai. It awards NYU degrees and teaches a liberal arts and sciences curriculum entirely in English. It is need-blind for all applicants, including international ones, and meets demonstrated financial need with grants rather than loans. That combination, at an institution awarding a New York University degree, is exceptional and it is the reason this entry matters more than most. Admission is correspondingly difficult. Approximately 4% of applicants were admitted to the Class of 2026 from more than 18,700 applications, the lowest rate among the American campuses abroad. A Kazakh applicant competes against a global field rather than a regional one. The visa is Emirati rather than American, which for a Kazakh national is considerably easier to obtain than an F-1.