Deciding between NYUAD ED2 vs RD, goal is MBB UAE/London/HK
I am an international Indian student with a 4.0 GPA and a 1560 SAT (800 Math). My long-term goal is to break into MBB consulting, ideally in cities like Dubai or London.
I have a very strong chance of getting into NYU Abu Dhabi with almost full funding if I apply ED2. If I apply RD, it becomes much more competitive and uncertain.
My application overall is strong. I have excellent essays(with a narrative), decent but not insane ECs, glowing letters of recommendation, and strong stats. An Ivy League student helped me a lot with my application, so most parts are well-polished. Still, there are no guarantees, especially because I need high financial aid.
I have applied to around 18 US universities, but I am worried I might get rejected from many purely because of aid. I also got into the University of Monash and the University of Toronto, but scholarship results come later (May 2026 for Sydney, Feb 2026 for UofT). Without a large scholarship, I cannot attend either.
Financially, I can pay a maximum of 55k USD total for all four years. But for NYUAD and smaller schools, I can afford to pay around 40k usd for four years.
- Should I lock in NYUAD by applying ED2, or take the risk and go RD hoping for better options?
- Is breaking into MBB UAE realistic from NYUAD?
- I have heard mixed things about job prospects from NYUAD. How accurate is that?
- What kind of salary outcomes are realistic after NYUAD, especially if I major in CS and Economics?
- How does the University of Hong Kong compare to NYUAD for consulting, tech, or global outcomes?
- Are top target school master’s programs realistic for NYUAD students with strong academics and good financial aid outcomes? What about PhD programs?
- Is applying RD worth it? If I get rejected everywhere, I might have to study in some Indian university like Shiv Nadar which is not even close to a target school.
- Should I take out a 50k usd loan to study at NUS Singapore?
Any insight from NYUAD students, consultants, or people familiar with MBB recruiting would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance.
Based on the most helpful WSO content and insights from similar discussions, here’s a breakdown of your situation and advice tailored to your goals:
1. NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and MBB Prospects
2. ED2 vs RD for NYUAD
3. University of Hong Kong (HKU) vs NYUAD
4. Master’s and PhD Programs
5. NUS Singapore and Loan Considerations
6. Final Recommendation
By locking in NYUAD, you secure a globally recognized education with minimal financial risk, setting you up for success in consulting or other global opportunities.
Sources: Ask mbaMission about Business School Admissions, Ask Natalie from Accepted about Business School Admissions, High School....now what? AM career??
If your goal is to break into consulting then NYUAD is a very good option. There’s a very good amount of alumni over the past 4-5 years who broke into MBB/T2 in UAE.
3) If you maintain a high GPA/network/clubs etc. You’ll be good you can check LinkedIn couple have landed jobs in IB and mbb in Dubai.
6) Yes it’s realistic but of course it depends on internships and grades
HKU is miles better than swathmore. as an american who is familar with hong kong schools.
Hey man, can you elaborate why
How good is HKU man?
you need to think of the office relative to the competition. Swathmore is a pretty good school, but there are dozens of schools above it. I don't think they even have their own recruiting website, which is common at every US target. Swathmore is irrelevent in US recruiting for MBB.
meanwhile, hku is part of the big 3 in hong kong (hku, cuhk, hkust) so everyone knows the top talent in hong kong is at those universities. ofc in reality most top top candidates just study abroad, but there are plenty of corporates recruiting at these three.
You also need to think about international recruiting from a visa and employment perspective. US recruiting for internationals is crazy with visas rn. London is mixed with rules changing. Meanwhile Hong Kong and Dubai still aren't bad, they're generally more accepting of internationals. For Hong Kong there is concern that Mandarin (not canto, thankfully) fluency is needed for a lot of jobs. So Dubai is pretty ideal from that perspective. Singapore is also pretty easy to work in, but competition is high.
If you do make MBB, just remember you can transfer to US/London/wherever if you're a top performer, regardless of location (even India). But very few make MBB. and it's unlikely that you will. So if your prefrence is a foriegn education and a foriegn job, take that into consideration, not just a 1% chance you'll get a job in a few years.
Just my 0.02 as an incoming MBB America (domestic student) who studied abroad for a semester in HK years back.
Following
NYUAD Alum here, I’ll share my thoughts based on my experience and the job outcomes over the last 3 or so years:
1. This is totally up to your risk appetite. I personally choose to ED2 NYUAD given the risk of RD (I had similar financial issues so it was a full ride or study back home for me). Ultimately, this is a decision only you can make.
2. It’s possible but the odds are against you. 10 nyuad graduates get into MBB UAE / Riyadh offices (small offices and strong preference of UAE Nationals and certain universities in Arabic speaking countries). That said, plenty do get into their home country’s MBB offices (i.e Germany, US, Japan etc). Obviously this isn’t an option for everyone.
3. Depends on major, but CS / Econ tend to have the best placements. That said, if your only have an Indian nationality, there is a slim chance to getting a job outside the gulf / India. That said, every year there are at least a few people who land a role in London and other major cities directly after graduating.
4. Average around $60-65k (tax-free) but can be as high as $180k and as low as $30k. (note: this is based of comp of grads in the uae since >50% stay after graduating). Also, almost no one does a double major in CS and Econ in NYUAD. You certainly can, but I wouldn’t recommend it as you’ll have virtually no electives and very tough 4 years.
5. I don’t know too much about Hong Kong, but i believe they generally require proficiency in Mandarin for most roles in consulting and finance. For tech roles, this is not an issue (but still very competitive as STEM fields are uber competitive in Asia as you would expect).
6. We have alumni across the most prestigious universities and programs in the world including MBAs at Harvard, Wharton, Stanford and other top MBA schools, JDs at Harvard, Yale and other top law schools, PhDs at basically all the Ivy League schools and many top unis (PhD are quite popular among NYUAD graduates). Basically, you can get into any top Masters/PhD program you want from NYUAD if you put in the work for it. That said, substantial financial aid / scholarships for top masters is much more rare than even top undergrad programs (PhDs are funded and certain programs like the Erasmus provides funding for masters but usually master are self funded).
7. Refer to (1).
8. I can’t help with that question as I dont know much about Singapore’s job market dynamics and NUS.
Overall, I understand at your stage it feels really important to maximize your life outcomes through choosing the ‘best’ university but trust me, the job outcomes is only small part of the equation. I’m currently doing a masters program at a top university in the UK (and globally top 10), and I would NEVER trade-in the opportunity forgo going to NYUAD when I was 18 and do my undergraduate program here instead. The NYUAD experience is incredibly unique, and while it’s not for everyone (every year a few people drop out / transfer), most people I know from nyuad do describe it as the best years of their life. Hope this helps. Best of luck!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. They were very helpful in crafting the trajectory of my life. I don't want to take more of your time, but these would help me a lot too.
2. Do most cs people not get tech jobs in UAE and go straight to consulting at mid-tier firms in UAE?
3. I would prefer big tech over consulting tbh. Is there a significant portion of CS students that make it into good tech companies for software/AI roles and do they also earn as good as 60-65k usd in tech?
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