Kuwait University’s decision to cut down on student admissions for the new academic year in response to reduced government support has intensified controversy about how to accommodate all students eligible for higher education.
In accordance with the decision of the University Council held in June, Kuwait University admitted only 8,071 students out of about 12,500 Kuwaiti students who meet the admission requirements and have applied for admission to the university’s colleges in the coming academic year.
Kuwait University, the tiny Gulf state’s only public university, relies on official government support from the general budget. Some observers have noted that the budget cut might hit 20 percent. A second public university is being planned, but its opening may be years away.
As of this article’s publication time, Kuwait University had not responded to Al-Fanar Media’s inquiries about its admission policies and plans to deal with the number of students who were denied admission despite meeting the admission requirements.
In previous media statements, Ali Almutairi, dean of admission and registration at Kuwait University, pointed out that reducing the university’s budget affected its ability to admit new students. “The number of newly admitted students depends on the space capacity, the number of faculty members, and the available budget,” he said in remarks reported last year, adding that “with the significantly reduced budget, this will affect the university’s capacity to admit new students.”