Eighty-six high-achieving secondary school students have been selected to participate in the rigorous 18-month NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Summer Academy enrichment program as recipients of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students, Class of 2026.
Now in its 15th year, the program offers a transformative academic and cultural experience that prepares Emirati students in the UAE for admission to, and success at, top global universities. The scholarship is one of the most prestigious opportunities available to Emirati secondary school students, recognizing both academic excellence and leadership potential.
Graduates emerge with the skills, confidence, and perspective to succeed on the world stage. Alumni have gone on to study at Yale, Princeton, NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, the London School of Economics, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, King’s College London, and more.
Her Highness Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “The Summer Academy represents a meaningful investment in our youth and in the future of our nation. It offers a space where students are empowered to think critically, build confidence, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. Each new cohort brings with it renewed potential and ambition, and I look forward to witnessing how these remarkable young minds will go on to shape the future both here in the UAE and beyond”.
The program begins in the summer after Grade 10 or Year 11 and runs for 18 months, combining two intensive summer sessions in Abu Dhabi with academic-year enrichment. Each summer, students spend five weeks at NYU Abu Dhabi engaged in rigorous coursework that sharpens critical thinking and encourages intellectual curiosity. Co-curricular activities complement classroom learning and help build leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
Faculty and staff provide continuous academic and personal support, including evening sessions that deepen discussions and strengthen community. During Grade 11 or Year 12, students take part in online classes and refresher weekends to reinforce key skills. In Grade 12 or Year 13, the program guides students through the college application process, from researching universities to finalizing essays and submitting applications.
The program concludes with a graduation ceremony where students and their families celebrate their achievements and receive official certificates of completion.
“The Summer Academy is more than a pathway to university; it’s a transformative experience that challenges students to grow as thinkers, communicators, and leaders. Each year, we witness how this intensive program opens doors and broadens horizons for some of the UAE’s most promising young minds. We’re proud to welcome the Class of 2026 into this dynamic community of scholars,” said Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Senior Vice Provost for Strategy and Planning at NYUAD Fatma Abdulla.
The recipients of the Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholarship for Outstanding High School Students for the Class of 2026 are: Abdulla Adeeb Abdulqader Abdulla Alajeel; Abdulla Mohammed Saeed Brouk Alhemeiri; Adam Ihsan Husein Haji Almarzooqi; Ahmed Khaled Ahmed Shaiban Almheiri; Ahmed Mansoor Ahmed Abdulla Almansoor; Aaesha Ahmed Saleh Ahmed Alshehhi; Aisha Ali Ahmed Hamel Alqubaisi; Alghala Ahmad Ibrahim Mohamed Alsaffar; Ali Khaled Ahmed Salem Alharbi; Ali Omar Karam Abdulla Alblooshi; Ali Salem Ahmed Abdullah Aldhanhani; Alreem Sarhan Hassan Mohamed Almaeeni; Alya Wassim Kabbani; Alyazeya Fawaz Ali AlAmodi; Dana Fadi Hasaan Helbaoui; Dana Mubarak Bakheet Suhail Alrashdi; Fahad Abdulaziz Mohammad Saleh Alzarouni; Farah Ahmed Jasim Naser Al Nuwais; Fatema Metaab Abdulazez Mohamed Alkarbi; Fatima Hadi Ali Salem Almansoori; Fatima Jasem Mohamed Amer AlHammadi; Fatima Saif Khalifa Saif Alkaabi; Hadif Ahmed Sulaiman Khalfan Alshamsi; Hajar Joudaane; Hala Walid Farouk AbouElala Mahmoud; Hamad Humaid Rashid Abdulla Alnuaimi; Hamad Khaled Mohamed Shareef Alawadhi; Hamad Mubarak Saeed Alkalily Alameri; Hamdan Abdulla Humaid Hassan; Hamed Mohammad Ishaq Mohammad Nasser; Haya Amer Abdulla Mohammad Abdulla; Hayat Mohammed Hamad Ali Binalwan; Hazza Ali Jafar Albani Alblooshi; Hessa Ahmad Abdulrahman Mohammad Abdulla; Hind Abdulkarim Abdulrahim Mohamed Alraeesi; Hind Abdulla Kareem Alrend Albalooshi; Hind S Yaser S Sharafuddin Sharaf AlHashmi; Jawaher Zayed Naser Al Jeaidi; Khadeeja Ahmed Alawi AlJafri AlHashmi; Khalid Mohamed Saeed Obaid Alansaari; Khalifa Khaled Eissa Badr Alhammadi; Khalifa Omar Ahmad Bin Tooq Almarri; Maha Abdulwahid Mohamed Ahmed AlObeidli; Mahmood Mohamed Mahmood Mohamed Alkhatib; Mahra Sultan Mohamed AlMarzooqi AlJneibi; Maitha Mohamed Ahmed Obaid Aljasmi; Mansoor Khalid Abdulla Mahmood Alhammadi; Mansour Mohamed Ali Karji Almarzooqi; Mariam Ali Hamad Lakhraim Alzaabi; Mariam Musallam Mohamed Saeed Alrashdi; Maryam Mohammed Musabbeh Binhamad Almehairi; Mayasa Hmood Thney Thalith Alshkeili; Meera Hamad Theyab Saif Almeqbaali; Meera Humaid Mohamed Humaid Alsuwaidi; Mohamed Khaled Mohamed Sultan AlMarzooqi; Mohamed Nayef Ali Yousif Al Ali; Мohammed Ali Мohamed Alhudouri Alhmoudi; Mohammed Fahed Mohammed Abdulla Almarzooqi; Mohamed Khaled Mohammed Obaid Alshehhi; Mohammed Khaled Abdulla Abdulla Alyassi; Mohammed Saleh Abdulla Mohamed Alalbi; Mohammed Sameer Mir Abdulaziz Ahmad Alkhoory; Mohammed Yasser Abdulbaqi Hasan Almarzooqi; Mohamed Othman Hasan Burhan Alblooshi; Mouza Saeed Daghash Abdulla Aljaberi; Mubarak Arif Mubarak Bin Ghasham Alshamsi; Nada Mohammad Abdulla Mohammad Abbas; Nada Mohammed Mahmood Ahmed Almudhareb; Noor Fayez Salem Karama Aljaberi; Nourah Taryam Hasan Qayed Subaihi; Ousha Mohamed Ali Abdulrahman Alharmoodi; Rashed Mohamed Husain Hamed Alozaibi; Rashid Ahmed Ali Salem Alnuaimi; Rodha Ali Salem Ahmed Alameri; Ruwdah Khalid Yousef Abdulla Alkhoori; Saeed Rashed Saeed Mohamed Alyammahi; Salama Salem Ali Saeed Alhassani; Saoud Faisal Maihed Ali Alsulaiti; Shaikha Yousef Mohamed Alshareef Alnuaimi; Shamma Khaled Ahmed Yahmoor Alshehhi; Shamma Mohammed Ahmed Sultan Al Hallami; Shamsa Salem Butti Salem Alqubaisi; Sultan Ahmed Mohammed Rada Almheiri; Sultan Omar Yahya Alamrie; Yousuf Amier Faisal Rabee AlAwadhi; Yousif Khalifa Yousif Ahmed Aljazi.
