The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world’s first graduate-level AI university, has welcomed its largest and most diverse cohort to date during a series of orientation events on campus. This growth highlights the university’s increasing stature in the global AI field and its commitment to leveraging AI for societal and industrial impact.
This year, MBZUAI received over 4,800 applications, with a highly competitive admission rate of just five percent. The new intake of 209 students includes the university’s inaugural cohorts in computer science (CS) and robotics, which were introduced last year following the establishment of two new departments and four postgraduate programs.
Professor Timothy Baldwin, MBZUAI’s Provost, noted, “The growth we are experiencing is a testament to our standing as a leading global AI institution. Our diverse and inclusive environment, strong research capabilities, and successful initiatives like the Undergraduate Research Internship Programme (UGRIP) have been instrumental in attracting top talent.”
MBZUAI has continued to climb global rankings, with its students and faculty producing high-impact research. The university’s 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio has supported these efforts, with first- and second-year students regularly publishing at top AI conferences. This year, the university attracted 39 students from the world’s top 100 CS universities, including Cornell, Tsinghua, and University College London.
The Autumn 2024 cohort represents 36 countries, including 44 Emiratis, with 147 students pursuing master’s degrees and 62 undertaking PhDs in CS, computer vision (CV), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and robotics. The total student population now stands at 381, representing 49 countries, with a gender distribution of 30% female and 70% male.
In its fifth year since founding, MBZUAI is establishing three new departments focused on human-computer interaction (HCI), statistics and data science, and computational biology. These additions will further enhance the university’s interdisciplinary curriculum and research initiatives, reinforcing its role in supporting the UAE’s innovation agenda and providing cutting-edge talent for local industries.
Recognized as one of the world’s top 100 computer science universities, MBZUAI also ranks among the top 20 globally in AI, CV, ML, NLP, and robotics according to CSRankings.
