Education in Dubai – With its unparalleled infrastructural advancements and flourishing economy, Dubai has attained “new heights”—literally and figuratively. Today, its education sector stands as tall as its iconic Burj Khalifa, with quality and affordability as its strong pillars.

Students from across the world are now opting for Dubai as their education centers owing its cosmopolitan vibes, sprawling campuses, and educational infrastructure.

As a new city, Dubai is well-planned in terms of its infrastructure, economy, and lifestyle. The city is evolving and expanding its horizon by welcoming new businesses, promoting innovation, building around the tourism industry, and focusing on providing quality education of international standards. 

What makes universities in Dubai go-to study settings for students from different areas of interest? Here’s why Dubai has emerged as the global educational hub today:

Why study in Dubai?

Dubai is becoming popular among international students for higher education. For every three -students in Dubai, one is an international student. It has become the new go-to place for international students for many international students, especially from the eastern countries like India and China. Why are there so many students marching towards the UAE?

Here are a few reasons why Dubai is growing as a preferred destination for international students,

• International standards of education: Dubai houses around 11 universities that rank in the top 1000 universities in the world.
• Constantly evolving education: The education industry is evolving with the aim to stay ahead of the competition and to offer the best in class education for the future entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and inventors of the world.
• Excellent career opportunities: UAE is growing and expanding across various sectors like tourism, real estate, recreation, retail, etc. With more people coming in and settling in the country, the job opportunities are competitive but not short. 
• Cosmopolitan interaction: Dubai is attracting many people from across the globe for its amazing lifestyle and high job opportunities. This allows you to interact and work with different people from different ethnicities. 

Trends and Investments in Dubai’s education sector

• Global University ranking

Dubai established its first university in 1976. In less than 50 years of its journey in the education sector, it has positioned 11 of its universities in the top 1000 universities in the world. The Head of Education at Carfax Education believes that the UAE is growing its calibre in attracting more international students in the coming years.  

• International collaboration

Dubai is one of the preferred destinations for the international campus of many popular universities like Middlesex, Heriot-Watt, SP Jain, etc. The student crowd in Dubai is highly diverse, with more than 30,000 international students from all over the world.

The country has ‘Education Free Zones’ where international students are provided cost-effective education and assistance to set up businesses and attract more students and educational institutions.

• Student-centred learning

The universities in Dubai focus more on overall well-being and education, not just textbook learning. Universities now provide work-based learning hybrid courses to develop skill sets. You can choose to pursue any course from more than 1200 courses and programs offered by various universities. 

• Tech-Integration

Dubai is already living in the future. It is known for innovation, and you’d agree if you see the level of technology the country uses on various fronts like construction, monitoring policies and norms, transportation, sales, recreation and everything you can imagine.  

Education is no exception to this. The universities optimise their tech and modernise their curriculum for the digital generation with concepts like AR, VR, extended reality, robotics, data analytics, and automation.

Why do Indian Students prefer Dubai for higher education?

1. The UAE is the nearest country to India that offers education in international standards with international campuses of many renowned universities.

2. More affordable tuition for degrees from top universities compared to the tuition of the same university in the US or UK because of the Education Free Zones available in the UAE.

3. The cost of living is 30% higher in the UK and US than in the UAE.

4. Indians comprise the highest percentage of the UAE population (38%). So you don’t really feel out of place living in a foreign country.

5. The lifestyle is great, with good food, numerous recreational activities, and an open culture.

Job prospects in Dubai

Similar to many popular destinations, you get the opportunity to earn while you study by doing part-time jobs, which was not possible a decade ago. The Dubai Government is liberalising the rules to attract more students and increase their innovative workforce. 

The job market is competitive, and yet there is a high scope for careers in different industries in Dubai. A few career options that are high in demand are as follows.

• Finance

Dubai has a robust financial sector, with 23 domestic and 28 foreign banks operating under the UAE central bank. 

Abu Dhabi and Dubai are two significant states for the UAE’s economy. These states are aiming and working towards becoming world leaders in the financial and service industry in the Middle East. With increasing start-ups and growing businesses, the finance industry has a huge demand for roles like investment banking, financial analysts, accountants, etc. 

The minimum salary for an entry-level banker is 1,50,000 AED per annum (33,85,000)

• Business Management

Dubai is now opening its economy for foreign investments and businesses to set up operations in the city. Every growing business has administration requirements. Given the situation, management graduates have a high scope for their career in roles like business development manager, finance manager, Human resources manager, project manager, etc. 

The average salary of an MBA graduate is AED 130000 ( INR 29,35,000)

• Logistics

UAE does not have vegetation of its own. 90% of its essentials, like food, clothing, and construction materials, are all imported. However, the UAE is also known for its resources like petroleum products, precious gems, dates, and machinery. 

The country also re-exports various products to many countries. Given such a large scale of imports, exports and distribution within the country, the country maintains a robust logistics system.

This multimodal logistics and transportation system requires executives and teams to manage it; hence, there is a high demand for roles like warehouse manager, logistics administrator, load planner, procurement officer, etc.

• Engineers

Dubai is known for its architectural marvels like the Burj Khalifa, the future museum, artificial islands, artificial rivers and channels, 12-lane roads, and well-planned city layouts.

It continues to innovate and invest in the city’s infrastructure. Hence, engineers have a high career scope in the country. 

The average salary of an entry-level civil engineering role is AED 188000 ( INR 42,44,000)

• Marketing 

One other aspect of business that never goes out of need is marketing. The increasing number of businesses in the country increases the need for marketing executives, especially digital marketers.

The country is leveraging social media marketing to promote its real estate industry and encourage people around the globe to invest in the country. If you are a digital marketing enthusiast, then Dubai is a great place to build your career.

The average salary for a digital marketer in Dubai is AED1,45,000 (INR 32,74,000)

Dubai is emerging as the latest educational hub of the world since the country is encouraging world-renowned universities to open branch campuses in UAE and opening up its economy to international businesses. 

UAE is the best country for international students, especially Indian students, to pursue higher education, as it houses campuses of great universities of the world that rank in the top 1000 universities of the world, offering lesser-cost degrees.

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FAQ

1. What is the average cost of higher education in Dubai?

It depends on the course that you choose. However, the cost of an undergraduate degree can range between AED 40,000 to AED 1,00,000 (INR 9,30,000 to 22,60,000) per year. A post-graduate degree might cost AED 50,000 to AED 1,20,000  (INR 11,30,000 to INR 27,00,000) per year.

2. Is it easy to get a job in Dubai?

The job market in Dubai is competitive. However, there is a high scope for finding good jobs with good pay if you possess the required skills and expertise. 

3. How much is the cost of living in Dubai?

The cost of living for a student depends on the type of accommodation you choose. If you opt for on-campus accommodation, you can avail gym, wifi and security services for AED 3000-AED 5000 per month and your total expenses per month may come up to 5,000 to 6,000 AED

If you opt for off-campus accommodation, it will be comparatively expensive, where your monthly rent alone starts from 2500 for a shared stay.  Since you live away from the university, transportation costs add to the expenses. The total expenses way come up to 6000-7000 AED