Timeline
2025-26 Admission Timeline | |
---|---|
January 14, 2025 | Online Applications Open |
March 27, 2025 | Applications Submission Deadline* |
April 22, 2025 | Notification of Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
May 2-4, 2025 | Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) |
May 22, 2025 | Notification of Specialty Interviews |
May 30 – June 1, 2025 | Specialty Interviews |
June 26, 2025 | Cross-match |
June 30, 2025 | Conditional Admission Offers |
October 1, 2025 | Commencement |
*No applications (new or in-process) can be submitted
Academic Criteria
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in medicine or dentistry from a recognized college listed in the World Health Organization (WHO) directory of approved health institutions.
- Completion certificate for meeting the internship training requirements.
- Typically, candidates should be within 5 years of graduating from medical/dental school.
- Typically, candidates should not have been out of clinical practice for more than 24 months at any point (excluding the national service for UAE Nationals or interruption due to Covid-19).
- Passing a post-qualifying residency entrance examination:
Note:
- For candidates with a degree awarded outside the UAE, Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) – General with Grade Average evaluation is required to evaluate the transcripts and have a standard GPA (http://www.ece.org)
- For EMREE/EDREE, we will consider the latest valid result.
- Candidates will join the program as full-time trainees. Combining more than one postgraduate program will not be permitted.
- Enrollment in the program is subject to successfully completing the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) licensing process.
English Criteria
One of the following English proficiency exams or their equivalent is required:
IELTS Academic |
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TOEFL iBT |
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EmSAT – English: |
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Note:
- Candidates who are native English speakers and have completed their most recent degree in an English-medium institution may be exempted from the English proficiency requirement subject to the approval of the relevant Committee.
- Candidates can be exempted from certificate validity requirement subject to providing, along with the English certificate, a letter from the university confirming that the medium of instruction was in English.
Portfolio
Research Activities | Examples: Writing a Proposal, Collecting Data, Analyzing Data, Writing a Manuscript, Case Study etc.
Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the letter). |
Publications | Eligibility: Should be in a peer-reviewed journal. It can be the same entry as the research activity.
Not Accepted: Abstracts and thesis studies or draft Manuscripts Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated). |
Presentation at a Scientific Event | Examples: Conference, Symposium, Workshop, etc.
Eligibility: must be health-related. Not Accepted: Attendance certificate and presenting during academic days or ground round at the university will not be considered Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the certificate). |
Voluntary Social/ Community Activities
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Examples: Participating in organizing or speaking in a community engagement event. Must be health related such as health awareness campaigns.
Eligibility: Activities organized or supervised by universities, official health associations, or government-licensed organizations. Target Audience: Activities aimed at the general public. Not Accepted: Activities conducted at the university for fellow students are not eligible. Volunteering to organize a conference or a workshop is not accepted. Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the certificate/letter). |
Skill Enhancement Courses | Examples: Basic Life Support, Advanced life support, Point-of-Care Ultrasound Certificate (POCUS), Leadership, Quality etc.
Eligibility: Online courses are accepted. Not Accepted: Certificate of Completion for entrance exams or preparatory courses are not accepted. Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the certificate). |
Academic Awards | Examples: Dean list, Best Paper, Best research, Best presentation etc.
Eligibility: related to academic/research achievements. Not Accepted: Photos of physical awards. Validity: The award must have been obtained since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the certificate/letter). |
Extra-Curricular Activities | Examples: Clinical attachment, summer placement, teaching, member of councils within the university, etc
Validity: The activity must have occurred since entering medical/dental school (ensure the date is indicated on the certificate/letter).
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Identification Documents
The online application form is the official and only means to apply to any of our Graduate Medical Education programs. All application documents should be submitted online. We will not be able to accept hard copies.
- Recent colored photo (in high-resolution format)
- Valid passport copy (for UAE Nationals add Ethbara page as well)
- Emirates ID Card (if applicable)
- Family Book (UAE nationals only)/Mother’s Family Book (For children of UAE national mothers) Valid Marsoom letter (for Marsoom holders only)
- Residency Permit (if applicable)
Academic Documents
- Undergraduate Degree Certificate. A notarized English translation of documents originally in a language other than Arabic or English is required.
- Undergraduate Academic Transcript. A notarized English translation of documents originally in a language other than Arabic or English is required.
- Internship Certificate. If the certificate is not yet available, please upload a letter from the institution confirming your enrollment and the expected date of completion. The completion date must be prior to the beginning of the academic year.
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) – General with Grade Average (if applicable). Sample
- Results of the English Proficiency Test as per the published criteria.
- Recommendation Letter - Preference 1 (letter should be dated not more than one year). Sample
- Recommendation Letter - Preference 2 (letter should be dated not more than one year). Sample
- Personal Statement
- Curriculum Vitae
Additional Academic Qualifications (if applicable):
- The certificate must be attested and from an accredited institute by the Ministry of Education – UAE.
- The certificate must have been obtained during the last five years, and the period of study should not be less than one academic year for the certificate that was completed.
- Online courses will be accepted if obtained from an accredited institute.
- Certificate of Completion for entrance exams or preparatory courses are not accepted.
- A notarized translation must be attached if the certificate is in a language other than English or Arabic.
Note:
Candidates who graduated from outside the UAE are required to evaluate their transcripts and have a standard GPA by the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). This received (ECE) GPA equivalent will be used when shortlisting applications.
Portfolio
Candidates must ensure all required documents (where applicable) are prepared prior to submission, as applications cannot be returned for portfolio edits once submitted.
Research Activity
- IRB Approval Letter (if available)
- Research Proposal
- Official Letter from the Research Supervisor indicating your role in the submitted research proposal
Publication in Peer-Reviewed Journal
- Link to Article
- Copy of the published manuscript. Drafts are not accepted
- Abstracts and thesis dissertations are not accepted
Presentation in Scientific Event
- Certificate of Participation as a presenter (oral or poster presentation)
- Attendance Certificate or Photos are not accepted
- Presenting on academic days or ground round at the university will not be considered
Voluntary Social/Community Activities
- Must be health-related activities such as health awareness campaigns
- Certificate of Participation or Official Letter from the organizer confirming your role
- Volunteering to organize conferences or scientific events is not considered
- Maximum of two activities
Skill Enhancement Courses
- Certificate of Attendance or Completion
- Maximum of two courses
Academic Awards
- Certificates of Academic Achievements/Award or Official Letter from the university
- Photos of a physical award are not accepted
Extra-Curricular Activities
- Certificate or Official Letter from the relevant institute
- Maximum of two courses
No objection letter from Employer to join the training program as full-time (if currently employed)
Note:
- If the certificate is in a language other than English or Arabic, a notarized translation must be attached.
- Certificates with handwritten names will not be accepted.
Selection Process
An application will be considered complete once all required documents are successfully submitted through the online portal and the application fee is paid. The selection process will include the following 4 phases:
- Phase 1: Shortlisting (50%)
- Phase 2: MMI (30%)
- Phase 3: Speciality Interview (20%)
- Phase 4: Ranking & Offering
Shortlisting
All completed applications will be reviewed and scored by the GME admission committee according to the following criteria.
The Residency Entrance Exam will be calculated based on score, percentile, and number of attempts.
The portfolio will be evaluated according to the following criteria. After the application deadline, candidates will be notified of their shortlisting scores through the online application portal. Candidates will have 48 hours to either approve their score or submit an appeal, along with supporting justification via the portal. The committee will reassess the portfolio based on the justification provided and confirm the decision.
Portfolio Evaluation 30 points
- Research activity – 4 Points
- Publication – 6 Points
- Presentation in a scientific event – 4 Points
- Voluntary social/community activities (max two activities) - 2 Points each
- Skill enhancement courses (max two courses) - 2 Points each
- Extra-curricular activities (max two courses) - 2 Points each
- Academic Awards - 4 Points
Multiple Mini-Interviews
Qualified shortlisted candidates will be invited via email for on-site Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI) and the unsuccessful candidates will be notified at that time with a regret notice.
What is MMI?
We believe that to excel in your career, not only do we need to give you the best training in the hospital, but also outside of it, and to become an exceptional doctor requires the development of these “soft” skills.
The multiple mini interviews is comprised of several short independent assessment interviews, typically arranged in a timed circuit.
The process results in an aggregate score of each candidate’s non-cognitive (“soft”) skills such as interpersonal skills, professionalism, and moral judgment. It’s been so successful that since its introduction in 2004, the MMI process has been adopted by medical, dental, and pharmacy schools around the world.
The interview scenarios are designed to test non-cognitive competencies which are key to medicine, such as:
- Communication Skills
- Problem-solving
- Empathy
- Moral/ethical reasoning
- Decision-making
Although participants must relate to the scenario posed at each station, it is important to note that the MMI is not intended to test specific knowledge in the field. Instead, the assessors evaluate each candidate’s thought process and the ability to think ‘on his or her feet’. As such, there are no right or wrong answers to the questions posed in an MMI, but each applicant should consider the question from a variety of perspectives.
The MMI process
At the start of each mini-interview rotation, a candidate receives a question/scenario and has a short period of time (typically one minute) to prepare an answer. Upon entering the interview room, the candidate has a short exchange with an assessor (usually about 5 minutes). In some cases, the assessor observes while an interaction takes place between a simulated patient (a role player) and the candidate.
At the end of each mini-interview, the assessor evaluates the candidate’s performance on the activity against set criteria, while the applicant moves to the next station. This pattern is repeated through a number of rotations (usually 10-15). Some stations are designated as “rest stations” meaning that no interview takes place. The candidate is expected to sit quietly during that time. The duration of the entire interview is usually about 90 minutes (1 ½ hours).
Specialty Interview
Candidates will be shortlisted based on phase 1 & phase 2 scores and invited to the Specialty Interviews. Unsuccessful candidates will be notified at that time with a regretful notice.
Ranking & Offering
Candidates who complete specialty interview will be ranked based on the following: 50% shortlisting score, 30% MMI and 20% specialty interview score. Accordingly, they will be informed via email of their admission decision towards the end of June after the Cross Match.
What is Cross Match?
Cross Match is an important step in selection that involves the comparison of accepted candidates across the health authorities and entities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that provide training programs. When a candidate is shortlisted and ranked by two or more of these entities, they are contacted and given the opportunity to select their preferred entity for training. Once the candidate confirms their preference, the other authorities promptly remove the candidate’s name from their respective lists. This meticulous process is designed to guarantee that UAE graduates are afforded a fair opportunity to secure a training spot at an early stage in the process.
Acceptance Rate
Specialty |
Intake Capacity |
Applicants Number |
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2023 |
2024 |
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Internal Medicine |
16 |
269 |
335 |
Emergency Medicine |
11 |
165 |
208 |
Pediatrics |
15 |
187 |
196 |
Family Medicine |
12 |
55 |
99 |
Obstetrics & Gynecology |
11 |
91 |
93 |
General Surgery |
5 |
79 |
78 |
Orthopedics & Trauma Surgery |
4 |
48 |
45 |
Radiology |
4 |
39 |
44 |
Psychiatry |
4 |
39 |
43 |
Dermatology |
3 |
44 |
40 |
Anesthesia |
6 |
32 |
34 |
Ophthalmology |
2 |
42 |
32 |
Otolaryngology |
2 |
29 |
31 |
Neurology |
2 |
21 |
22 |
Pediatric Neurology |
2 |
20 |
20 |
Urology |
2 |
16 |
19 |
Neurosurgery |
1 |
7 |
14 |
Benefits
Our trainees receive a monthly salary and benefits package as summarized below:
- Residency Visa sponsorship (for trainees only) – upon request
- Medical insurance (for trainees only)
- Malpractice insurance
- e-learning opportunities
- e-Library access at Al Maktoum Medical Library (AMML) at MBRU
- Annual Leave- 4 weeks (i.e. 1 block can be divided)
- Professional Development – 5 working days per academic year
Contact us & FAQs
For inquiries regarding residency admissions, please feel free to reach out to our admissions team at gme.admissions@mbru.ac.ae or call us at 8006278. We’re here to assist you with any questions you may have.
You may also click here to view all FAQs.