(AUBH) has announced it will waive its Seat Reservation fees for students studying abroad who have chosen to return to Bahrain during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also dedicate increased admissions resources to assist the transfer of students to AUBH from international institutions, ensuring a seamless transition and the transfer of the maximum number of credits to AUBH degree programs. The announcement comes as students studying abroad choose to return to the Kingdom from their international institutions as a safety precaution, and to be with their families.

This measure is just one of many being taken by AUBH to minimize the impact of university campus closures on parents, students and team members. In addition to supporting the work-from-home protocol by using state-of-the-art online platforms, key staff and faculty are now working from the Riffa campus from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to avoid travel at peak periods, and to allow working parents more time at home. These measures are in compliance with the announcement by The Government Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, with guidance on the work-from-home protocol.

Dr. Susan E. Saxton, Founding President of AUBH, commented: “Our priority in these challenging times has been the seamless continuation of learning for our students, but we also recognize that with uncertainty comes financial pressure for parents of students studying abroad. With this in mind we have decided to waive the Seat Reservation fee for international students who may prefer to study at home rather than return abroad once the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates.”

These measures come in parallel to AUBH’s continuation of program delivery via the latest in learning technology, utilizing globally-recognized online classrooms from Microsoft O365 Teams and Amazon Web Services Workspaces, in addition to the Moodle Learning Management system. These technologies were previously implemented allowing for rapid transition to online learning to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with the safety of the entire AUBH community in mind.

Since distance learning commenced, AUBH’s international faculty have received in-depth training from the dedicated Information Technology team on delivering online lectures and streaming live events. The innovative technology uses techniques such as digital whiteboards, session recording and real-time feedback, to ensure the learning experience is as immersive as possible.

AUBH offers programs in Colleges of Business and Management, Engineering, and Architecture and Design. AUBH’s purpose-built campus in Riffa is a second home to a new caliber of students, nurtured and mentored by hand-picked faculty with the best international and local expertise. As the first American-style University in Bahrain, AUBH takes a unique approach to learning, going beyond imparting knowledge to giving students access to real world scenarios and practical case-based learning. Complete with the latest in learning technology, library, labs, and a sports center, the campus is alive with the buzz of academic and extra-curricular life, amongst a multi-cultural student body.