Following the January 2025 launch of a brand new British Council report inspecting TNE alternatives within the Center East, delegates of a convention hosted by Middlesex College (MDX) Dubai heard in regards to the nation’s rising demand for department campuses.
“By 2040, we’re anticipating that we’ll greater than double enrolment in larger training,” a speaker from Dubai’s Data and Human Improvement Authority (KHDA) informed delegates.
“Taking into consideration the present capability and future growth plans of current universities, we anticipate we’ll want 10 to fifteen extra department campuses to cope with demand. Provide is rising exponentially, and the training sector has to reply,” stated the speaker.
The UAE has grow to be a key regional and international hub for TNE, internet hosting over 237,000 worldwide college students in 2023, famous the report.
At present, there are 57 worldwide establishments in Dubai, most of that are department campuses situated in the developmental ‘freezones’ of Dubai’s Data Village or Dubai Worldwide Educational Metropolis (DIAC). 9 of the Department campuses are run by UK establishments.
“The freezones have been the catalyst for development as a result of they enabled universities to return with out vital capital infrastructure funding and work with companions. They’d entry to world class services and have been in a position to slowly develop from a small measurement,” stated the speaker.
By 2040, we’re anticipating that we’ll greater than double enrolment in larger training
KHDA
Middlesex College Dubai, the nation’s largest British larger training establishment and one of many first worldwide department campuses within the UAE, was established in 2005 in Dubai’s Data Village freezone and has since expanded additional into the DIAC as of 2021.
The report highlighted the success of MDX Dubai – which hosted the convention – and which at the moment enrols over 6,300 college students from 120 nations.
The establishment’s fast development, which is forecast to extend enrolment ranges to eight,000 college students within the subsequent 4 years, is indicative of Dubai’s burgeoning pupil inhabitants fuelling demand for extra larger academic establishments.
“Middlesex College Dubai is proud to play a big position in advancing TNE inside the UAE, supporting high-quality TNE partnerships that tackle each native and international wants,” stated Cedwyn Fernandes, director of MDX Dubai, on the publication of the report.
“We’ve persistently targeted on monetary sustainability, sturdy pupil enrolment, and providing numerous packages aligned with Dubai’s financial priorities,” added Fernandes.
Final yr, Dubai’s KHDA acquired roughly 70 expressions of curiosity in establishing a department campus, as in contrast with a median of 10 – 15 requests which has been typical of the previous 5 years, in line with the authority.
Whereas welcoming the “super curiosity”, the speaker stated he understood that KHDA needed to be selective: “We’ve to guard establishments which might be right here, investments which might be already within the nation, and we’ve bought to usher in establishments that add worth and feed gaps out there.”
These priorities are outlined in Dubai’s Schooling 33 (E33) technique introduced in November 2024, which units formidable objectives for larger training together with rising Dubai’s worldwide pupil inhabitants by 50% and attaining 10X development in training tourism by 2033.
The technique additionally covers Ok-12 and is aiming so as to add 49,000 new inexpensive college seats by 2033.