"Traditional strongholds are fading": The Predominance of International Higher Education in the Gulf Region

"Traditional strongholds are fading": The Predominance of International Higher Education in the Gulf Region

Higher education is currently experiencing considerable upheaval, with many traditional and established nations seeing reduced international student recruitment numbers due to policy changes and restrictions. These are in turn leading to departmental and even institutional closures, financial uncertainty and staff redundancies.

Over the past few years, we have seen a shift in student mobility patterns. Australia experienced a 12% decline in new student visas in the 2024/25 academic year. Canada saw a 60% fall in new student arrivals in 2025 as compared with the previous year. The UK has recently launched a new international education strategy to focus on expanding overseas and to help combat the 18% reduction in visas granted to incoming international students in June 2025; and the USA saw a 17% reduction in new first year international student recruitment in Autumn 2025.

We are also seeing increased expansion into new markets, particularly India and China, with many western universities seeking to establish branch campuses and joint degree programs. In December 2025, the Indian University Grants Commission listed the initial 12 foreign universities granted approval to establish campuses. These 12 are drawn from Australia, the UK, France and Singapore. In September 2025, China’s Ministry of Education approved 19 new joint education institutions and 31 new joint education programs. These mark a considerable focus on growth, collaboration and engagementfrom both the host and sending nations.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is experiencing considerable and sustained growth in international higher education provision. The UAE, as of June 2025, had a population of 11.35 millionthis includes UAE nationals and expatriates who make up just over 10 million, living across the seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubia, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah. Dubai, in particular, is the center of much of this growth. Here, higher education institutions operate under the oversight of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), which is responsible for ensuring compliance with quality assurance and regulatory requirements.

As of July 2025, and according to KHDA reports, Dubai had 41 licenced international higher education providers, 37 of which are international branch campuses. Two of these 37 have home campuses ranked in the 2026 QS World University Rankings top 100 globallythe University of Manchester Dubai (ranked 35th), and the University of Birmingham Dubai (76th). Another two home campuses are ranked in the top 200Curtin University Dubai (183rd) and the University of Wollongong in Dubai (184th). Three other universities with campuses in Dubai rank in the top 300 of the QS rankings.

Dubai continues to build on this success and looks to further enhance its global reputation. As part of the Education 33 Strategy, the global university attraction project looks to promote an educational sector that blends transnational and national provision to invest in education, research and international collaboration. By 2033, the aim is to increase international student numbers to 50% of the total number of students in higher education. This will contribute AED 5.6 billion ($1.5 billion) to the higher education sector’s GDP and place Dubai in the top ten global cities for higher education.

In terms of recent growth in Dubai, the 2024-2025 academic year saw a 20% increase in total student enrollment and a 29% increase in international student recruitment. This increase led to international students comprising 35% of the total student enrollment. During this period, a further four new international universities opened, and 42,026 students enrolled at 41 private higher education institutions.

Currently, around 42% of Dubai’s international students come from India and there are naturally aims to diversify this to reduce dependence on a single model, and to further increase the diversity of the student population itself in Dubai. We have seen movement in recruitment with students choosing Dubai over traditional destinations such as Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.

Dubai is routinely ranked among the safest cities in the world, and this factor is not lost on the student population as it is listed in the top reasons for study. The simplified visa process, access to globally ranked higher education institutions and the affordability of degreesparticularly when compared to the costs for international students in more traditional locationscarries weight for prospective students.

The international higher education landscape has shifted considerably over the past few years. We experienced dramatic changes during the Covid-19 pandemic and then saw an increase in numbers and mobility as things returned to ‘normal.’ In the past few years, we have seen new pathways and mobility trends. Regional mobility and collaboration are more evident; traditional strongholds are fading; new markets are emerging and consolidating. The student decision making process has changed and, as universities seek new outreach opportunities, places like Dubai are working to create facilitating environments that promote educational excellence, affordability and student safety.