A parent's guide to sending your child to study in Dubai

Written for parents. Your son or daughter has found a college in Dubai and would like an answer. Here is what to check, in the order a careful parent would check it.

Is the qualification real?

Ask who awards it, not who teaches it.

At TIIB the answer is Pearson, a UK awarding body, and the qualification is the BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma. The institute has to be an approved Pearson centre to deliver it, and Pearson moderates the assessment. The Level 3 diploma is awarded by Gatehouse Awards, also in the UK.

That separation is what makes the certificate portable. It is recognised in over 70 countries because the awarding body's name is on it.

Does it lead to a degree?

Yes, and this is usually the question underneath the question.

A Level 5 HND is 240 credits, which is the first two years of a UK bachelor's degree. Graduates enter the final year of a degree and finish with full honours after one more year. Three years in total, two of them in Dubai at lower cost than the UK equivalent.

If your child later decides to complete a degree in the UK, the UAE or Europe, nothing is wasted and nothing is repeated.

Will they be safe?

Dubai has very low crime and the practical safety of a city where an eighteen-year-old can take the metro at night without anyone thinking about it. Healthcare is good, and health insurance is included in the student visa fee rather than bought separately.

The campus is in Dubai Knowledge Park, a district built for education, with its own tram stop.

Where will they live?

Through partner student housing providers, at AED 3,500 to AED 5,000 a month depending on room type and location. These are managed student buildings, not private lettings found online. Sharing lowers the figure meaningfully.

What does it cost in total?

Tuition is AED 40,000 per year on the two-year HND. The visa is AED 5,500 from outside the UAE, all-inclusive. Registration is AED 1,000 and the application fee is AED 100. Books run to around AED 1,500 a year. Accommodation is the largest variable.

Instalment plans are available and are agreed with the offer.

The full breakdown, including living costs, is set out in our guide to what a year in Dubai actually costs.

Will they get work experience?

Yes, and it is guaranteed rather than encouraged. Every student gets an internship, starting four months after they join, with a stipend of AED 1,000 a month. Hours are capped at 20 a week under UAE rules, so it fits around teaching.

The placements come from direct agreements with 22+ companies. This is the part most parents find reassuring, because it is the part that usually is not there.

Who is teaching and advising?

The academic team plus a mentor network of over 35 founders and operators running real businesses in the region, and an advisory board of 300+ leaders. Students work on live briefs rather than only case studies.

The questions worth asking us directly

• What are the entry requirements for my child's specific results?
• What does the timetable look like in an ordinary week?
• Which companies host interns in that specialism?
• What is the refund position if they withdraw in the first term?
• Which universities have taken TIIB graduates for a top-up year?

Every one of those has a specific answer. Ask an admissions counsellor for it. They reply within one working day, and you are welcome to ask without your child on the call.

Visiting

You can visit the campus in Dubai Knowledge Park. If you are outside the UAE, a video call with an admissions counsellor covers the same ground. Most families do one before they commit, and it is a reasonable thing to insist on.