Dubai opens 3 branches of new international universities next year 2025-2026

In the context of the continuous efforts to consolidate Dubai’s position as a destination for distinguished students from all over the world, and a headquarters for the best international academic institutions, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai revealed the opening of 3 branches of new international universities in Dubai next academic year 2025-2026.

The list of branches of new international universities includes: The Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad, which presents a master’s program in business management and ranks 27th globally according to the global “QS” classification of universities for the year 2026 according to specialization, in addition to both the American University of Beirut, ranked 237th globally in the same classification, and the Fakih Faculty of Medical Sciences.

This comes while Dubai is witnessing increasing interest from many prestigious international universities to open branches in the emirate, where some of these requests are being studied and discussed, while a number of them are waiting for final approval.

A future vision

D. Wafi Daoud, Executive Director of the Strategic Development Sector in the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai: “The Dubai project to attract the best international universities, which is approved by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, reflects the international status of the emirate in light of the unlimited support from the rational leadership to make Dubai at the forefront of the ideal global destinations for students and prestigious international higher education institutions.”

David added: “The polarization of the best international universities is kept pace with providing high -quality education opportunities within the most requested disciplines in the strategic sectors, the ambitious targets of Dubai’s 2033 plan and its economic and social agencies, and the education strategy in Dubai 2033 that represents a vision of the education system in the emirate, with the aim of enhancing the competitiveness of Dubai graduates regionally and internationally, and doubling educational tourism coming to Dubai by ten Fold by 2033, in addition to integrating the upcoming Emirati generation in the labor market and promising sectors, and contributing to doubling the size of Dubai’s economy during the next decade to be among the three best economic cities in the world. “

International reputation

The licensed higher education institutions from the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai recorded an unprecedented increase in their enrollment rate by 20% during the academic year 2024-2025, as the number of licensed higher education institutions reached 41, including 37 branches of international universities, attracting a total of 42,026 male and female students, studying about 706 various academic programs, All of them aim to prepare learners and enable them with future skills, in line with the targets of the education strategy in the emirate 2033.

Among these universities, the two maternal universities are classified by two of its branches in Dubai among the 100 best universities in the world according to the “QS” global classification of universities for the year 2026, where the University of Manchester – Dubai ranks 35th globally, while the University of Birmingham – Dubai ranks 76, is also ranked the mother university of Kirten University – Dubai, and the University of Wongong in Dubai among the best 200 universities in the world, in the ranks 183 and 184 respectively.

In addition, Dubai hosts three branches of other international universities, which are among the 300 best universities globally, according to the same classification.

Pioneering majors

According to the “QS” global classification of universities for the year 2026, according to the specialization, many higher education institutions that opened branches in Dubai were ranked among the best in the world in business administration, among them: London College of Business that ranked seventh globally, and the High College of Trade in Paris ranked 54 Specialized in higher education education programs, within the category from 51 to 100 in art and design.

Various options

The Dubai project to attract the best international universities will provide an advanced educational environment that has a mixture of transit education and national programs that invest in education, scientific research and international cooperation between the various economic sectors, with targeting that international students constitute 50% of the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions in the emirate by 2033, and achieve 5.6 billion dirhams as a direct contribution to the higher education sector in the local product Total, and make Dubai among the top 10 global cities for university study.