Studying in Dubai, honestly: what it is worth and who it does not suit

Dubai was not an obvious study destination fifteen years ago. It is now, and the reasons are practical rather than romantic.

The qualification travels

Most of what is taught here is validated somewhere else. UK, American and Australian institutions run campuses or approved centres in the city, so the paper you finish with is the paper you would have got in the awarding country. That matters when you take it to an employer in Mumbai, Lagos, London or Toronto.

TIIB is an approved Pearson centre. A Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma taken in Dubai Knowledge Park is the same award, at the same level, as one taken in Manchester.

You are not the only foreigner

Around 200 nationalities live in Dubai. On campus, the person next to you is as likely to be from Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines or Georgia as from anywhere else. Nobody has to explain where they are from twice, and nobody is the odd one out.

That is worth more than it sounds when you are nineteen and a long way from home for the first time.

Cost, honestly

Dubai is cheaper than the UK, the US or Australia for the same level of qualification, and much more expensive than studying at home. Both things are true.

Tuition at TIIB is AED 40,000 per year on the two-year HND. Student accommodation runs between AED 3,500 and AED 5,000 a month. A student visa costs AED 5,500 if you apply from outside the country. You can work 20 hours a week while you study, and the internship built into the programme pays AED 1,000 a month.

Set against a UK degree with international fees plus rent in a British city, the total is considerably lower. Set against living at home, it is not. Work out your own number before you decide.

It is close to home

For students from South Asia, the Middle East and much of Africa, Dubai is a three to five hour flight rather than a twelve hour one. You can go home for Eid or for a family emergency without arranging it a month in advance and paying for it for a year. Families visit. That changes the experience.

Work is where you study

Dubai is a working city first and a university city second, which cuts both ways. There are fewer of the traditions people associate with campus life. There are far more companies within a few kilometres of campus, and they hire.

Multinationals run their regional operations from here across finance, logistics, technology, aviation and hospitality. Internships are not hypothetical. At TIIB every student on a two-year diploma gets one, four months after joining.

The practical bits people forget

The metro and tram make the city navigable without a car, and Dubai Knowledge Park has its own tram stop. Crime is very low. Healthcare is good and health insurance comes with your student visa. Everything is conducted in English.

Summer is genuinely difficult if you have not lived through one. From June to September you plan around air conditioning.

Is it right for you?

If you want a recognised qualification, a route into work while you study, and a city that connects to everywhere, Dubai is a strong choice. If you want a quiet campus town and cheap rent, it is not.

Read the fees page and the visa page before you decide anything. They carry the actual numbers.