The University of Dubai (UD) announced that the admission period for new students for spring semester is now open but would be limited to 100 students. The university has not yet met its limit but said it has seen an increase of 15 percent in admissions compared to this time last year. The deadline for applying is March 3 when the first classes of the spring semester will start. “The increase in admissions is a promising indicator,” UD president Dr. Omar Hefni said. “While the awards we’ve received this year and the international accreditation of our degree programs speak volumes about the university, I believe UD’s reputation for an unparalleled education and for producing sought-after graduates is being spread by word-of-mouth and that is what is really helping to improve our numbers this year.” The University of Dubai was recently named the Most Innovative School in the Middle East in European CEO Magazine’s 2011 Global Business Education Awards. Student teams from the University of Dubai have also been enjoying increasing presence on the podium of business competitions in the region lately. Having made it to the semi-finals in KPMG’s ‘Ace the Case’ competition this month and winning Unilever’s ‘Idea Trophy’ last month, the university has been proving it doesn’t have to be the biggest to be the best. In fact, the University of Dubai is making the case that sometimes it’s good to refrain from simply following the crowd - UD is the only university in Dubai to have an AACSB international accreditation, which it received in 2009 and the only Computer and Information Systems program to have an ABET international accreditation in the UAE, which it received in 2006. These international accreditations make UD part of an elite group to which only 5 percent of business schools belong worldwide, which also includes such prestigious American institutions as Harvard and Stanford. Dean of UD’s College of Business Administration, Prof. Mohamed E. Ibrahim, said the university follows rigorous standards to maintain these two accreditations in everything from curriculum to academic research. This, he said, is what sets the business school of the University of Dubai apart from other schools.