Studying at TIIB

Why students choose Dubai

Dubai is a decision before TIIB is a decision. Seven arguments, each with the evidence under it. Two of them are genuinely difficult, and those are here too.

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What the city actually offers a student

No single one of these is the reason. Together they are why an intake arrives here from everywhere.

  • The qualification travels

    Dubai hosts UK, American and Australian awarding bodies under UAE regulatory approval, so a certificate earned here carries the awarding body's name, not the host country's. TIIB is an approved Pearson centre, and the BTEC Higher National Diploma you would earn in Dubai Knowledge Park is the same award, recognised in 70+ countries.

  • You will not be the only foreigner

    Around 200 nationalities live in Dubai. Nobody explains where they are from twice.

  • You can work while you study

    Twenty hours a week is what a student visa allows, and at TIIB the guaranteed internship sits inside that allowance and pays up to AED 1,000 a month, based on performance.

  • It is close to home

    Three to five hours in the air for much of South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Families visit. That changes the experience of being away.

  • The city works

    Metro and tram, a tram stop at Knowledge Park, very low crime, healthcare that comes with your student visa, and English everywhere.

  • Cost, honestly

    Cheaper than the UK, the United States or Australia for the same award. More expensive than staying at home. Both are true, and the fees page has the arithmetic.

  • The summer

    June to September is genuinely hard if you have not lived through one. You plan your day around air conditioning. Better to know that now than in July.

A question people ask

What is life in Dubai actually like as a student?

Busy, safe and expensive in parts. The metro makes the city navigable without a car, the campus sits in Dubai Knowledge Park with other institutions around it, and the student population comes from everywhere, so nobody is the only person far from home. Budget carefully: rent and eating out are where the money goes.

Also useful

Convinced by the city? Now pick a programme

The city is the easy part to argue. Which programme you take is the decision that shapes the two years, and admissions will talk it through before you commit to either.

An admissions counsellor replies within one working day.

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