GMU is committed to continuously improve its contribution to SDG 10 - Reducing Inequalities. GMU has been progressing its endeavors for achieving SDG 10, some of them include the following:

• Scholarships for GMU students from lower and lower-middle-income countries

• Recognizing contributions of its Women employees

• Recognizing contributions of its elementary support staff employees

• Supporting student diversity and equality through Student Happiness Center, mentoring and advising programs, peer guide program, student clubs, etc.

Demographic Analysis of Students from Developing Countries (Lower or Lower-Middle- Income)

GMU admits students from Low-income or Low-middle income countries. The following graph shows the increasing trend in the number of students from low or low-middle-income countries. GMU does not discriminate on any grounds including race, caste, religion, sect, economic or financial background. It is committed to full compliance with its policy Anti- discrimination and Anti-harassment.

Figure 1: Trend Analysis of Student Enrollment - Number of Students from Lower and Lower middle-income countries

Figure 2: Gender wise classification of Students from Lower and Lower middle-income countries

Figure 3: Age Group wise classification of Students from Lower and Lower middle-income countries

1st generation Students Starting a Degree

The university annually conducts a survey during the month of October. The survey invites the newly admitted 1st year students from all the academic programs as target audience. Feedback on whether they are the first generation to attend a university in their family is collected. Results of the survey for 2023 are shown in the figure below. It is noted that 66% of the students reported that they are the first child in the family to attend a university.

Financial Aid to Students from Lower income and Lower-Middle income countries

GMU has a policy on financial aid to students (link). GMU offers discount of tuition fee to students as and when applicable. GMU has signed MoUs with countries like Palestine, Syria, Yemen, etc. to offer special financial aid in the form of discounts to students from low-income economies or lower-middle income economies country.

The Scholarship Policy of GMU is publicly available on the University website and  has been reviewed during June 2020. Link to Policies: https://www.qa.gmu.ac.ae/policies06/financialaids

Total scholarship amount- AED 15,018,079.00

Total scholarship amount- AED 7,539,750.00

Total scholarship amount- AED 1,627,510 

Students Celebrate Diversity at GMU

The annual Global Day celebrations of Gulf Medical University (GMU) – Ajman, was celebrated with fun and frolic at the University campus. Organized each year to acknowledge the cultural diversity of the students and staff of GMU, the event is a festive carnival of cultures and traditions, including students from 90 nationalities that form the student cohort of GMU. More than 3000 attendees including the students and staff of the University as well as their families and friends gathered at the University grounds to join the Global Day celebrations. 

The evening also had colorful music and dance performances by the students dressed in their respective traditional attires and entertaining the audience with some great displays of talent. Celebrated every year, the GMU Global Day seeks to admire the unity in cultural diversity of GMU’s student community hailing from over 90 nationalities. The event gives the students an opportunity to display the essence of their ethnicities and cultures, at the same time getting to know and appreciate each other’s culture.

Women Empowerment

GMU encourages women empowerment. Female employees are available on many leadership positions as follows:

• 1 out of 6-colleges have the College Dean as a Female.

• 27% of the Academic Programs have Program Directors as Females

• Around 50% of the faculty members are females.

• 46% of the females are holding academic designation as Professor.

• Significant numbers from female faculty represent as committee members in various committees at college level.

Other leadership positions on which female are appointed include the following:

• Dean - College of Nursing

• Director Admissions

• Manager –Institutional Research

• Manager – Program Accreditation

• Manager – Human Resources

• Head Biomedical Science Department, etc.

Mélange – The Voice of Students

The Student Newsletter, Melange was first published in September 2017, and it has been running for four consecutive years since then. The newsletter committee is formed by students from all majors and years, and it aims to publish at least two newsletter issues per semester, and four newsletter issues per academic year. It is a committee of around 12 to 15-students. Melange aims to promote all the exciting events taking place around the university, interview students about their university or extracurricular activities, as well as have a debate or share articles about the healthcare professions, this way not only are the members of this committee involved in the newsletter but the rest of the GMU students are too!

Celebrating International Housekeeping Week at Gulf Medical University

International Housekeeping Week is a week (held every year during the second full week of September) dedicated to recognizing the efforts of hard-working housekeepers who work behind the scenes to maintain the quality and cleanliness of our GMU campus.

We are so grateful for the dedication and determination of our staff who play an important role in maintaining cleanliness and in reducing the spread of illness. GMU applauds the efforts of everyone who is living out what it means to put the interest of others first.

GMU is thankful to our unsung Heroes of Housekeeping for looking after us all and for their critical contributions to keeping us safe.

The “Together We Rise” program under Student Happiness Center of each College

The “Together We Rise” program at Gulf Medical University is an innovative peer-assisted learning approach that promotes collaborative learning among students. Through this program, students of all years can learn with and from their peers, enhancing their academic and personal development. (Link)

Services provided in the program:

• Tutoring: Students can become tutors and share their knowledge and expertise with their peers. By tutoring others, students build their confidence and reinforce their understanding of the subject matter.

• Individualized Learning: As a tutee, you can benefit from one-on-one sessions with your tutor. This personalized approach allows you to learn at your own pace and in a manner that suits your learning style and progress.

• Soft Skills Development: The program not only focuses on academic learning but also fosters the development of essential soft skills. Through teamwork and collaborative learning, students improve their cooperative skills, promoting a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

• Informal Peer Sessions: Peer sessions are designed to be informal, creating a relaxed and comfortable setting for learning. Students learn at their own pace and engage in discussions that enhance their understanding.

  
  

Gulf Medical University and California North state University (College of Pharmacy “Introduction to Teaching & Learning” A Students’ Certificate Program”

Thirty-eight faculty and students from College of Pharmacy Gulf Medical University (GMU) and California North state (CNU), College of Pharmacy participated in panel discussions and presentations under the theme “The Science of Learning and The Role of The Teacher in Effective Learning “. This is a part of “GMU-CNU Introduction to Teaching & Learning” A Students’ Certificate Program “. The program is designed to introduce the essential pedagogical aspects of teaching and learning to pharmacy students participating in peer learning programs and/or academic rotations in both institutions.

The Mentorship and Academic Advising Program

Each student is assigned to a Mentor who will be working closely with the students to address the academic challenges faced by the student. The mentor will guide the student and support him/her in choosing the best career choices. The mentor will provide all the necessary support to address personal or health-related issues. Mentors are trained to provide appropriate guidance, support and counselling in all relevant domains. The ultimate objective is to help students achieve their academic and career goals. GMU conducts an online survey once per semester to assess student perception of their satisfaction with the mentorship and academic advising program. The feedback of the survey  helps identify key areas where necessary actions are required for improvement. Mentors and academic advisors develop an action plan and monitor its implementation to ensure all areas identified for improvement are well addressed. The figure below highlights students’ satisfaction with the mentorship program during both semesters of the academic year 2021-22.

Student Clubs

Student Clubs promote diversity and are a great way for students to interact with their peers from multicultural backgrounds. The clubs help them to work as teams to develop social, educational and leadership skills. Involvement in recognized clubs allows students the opportunity to network and take part in the leadership and mentorship program and become engaged in events and service activities both on-campus and off-campus. Students can benefit in many ways such as career enhancement, communication skills, leadership skills, social networking, social skills, personality development, organizational and management skills, build a resume, long-lasting friendship and more through their involvement in the clubs.

50+ student clubs have been established with an objective to allow socialization, leadership, personality development and integrity among the student cohorts.

The Peace Club has been established with the purpose of promoting help to the poor. The students collected a number of food items and other essential items and donate them to the poor community.

The Volunteering Club has been established for students to encourage them to volunteer in many activities across the university. The club provides the opportunity to participate in different events and spread the message of love, respect and happiness by giving and helping each other. The started with 33 students and is now active with 135-active students.

Cultural clubs have been established for students from various nationalities to find their own people and also create events that represent their countries to showcase to their peers.

Various other clubs are organized to encourage health and fitness in addition to the personal, social and professional development of students. These clubs provide an opportunity for students from different cultures and backgrounds to work together under one umbrella with the objective to spread peace, humanity and respect for each other and their cultures.