Raj was was born in Dubai and completed his schooling there. In September, he'll be starting his tertiary studies at an Indian university in Dubai. Unlike some of his friends who have chosen to study in India, he does not feel ready to leave the city he calls home, and is confident about the quality of education he will receive in the UAE.
Khalid is a business development manager working in Dubai. He graduated from university in his home country of Jordan more than 10 years ago, and has recently started a part-time MBA at a British business school in Dubai. He attends evening classes once a week, so is able to continue his career while building his prospects. He plans to study at his university's home campus for six weeks during his annual leave.
Catherine began her business degree at Heriot-Watt University, in her home town of Edinburgh. After her second year, she opted to complete her studies at Heriot-Watt's Dubai campus. Five years later, she has graduated and is now working at a multinational company in Dubai.
The story of Dubai's higher education sector is the story of Raj, of Khalid, of Catherine and of thousands more like them - students of all nationalities living in Dubai, or coming to Dubai especially to study.
Dubai's strategic location, in the heart of the Middle East and close to the Indian subcontinent and Africa, makes it an attractive destination for students who want a world-class higher education near their home countries, and for students from further afield enticed by a new experience. Its growing economy, offering graduates a variety of career opportunities, is a further pull.
Today, there are 26 international branch campuses in Dubai offering accredited education from 10 countries, including the UK, the US, Australia, France, India, Russia and Lebanon.
These campuses offer hundreds of programmes from bachelor to doctorate level in a variety of specialisations, including business, law, media and engineering.
Students from the Middle East make up more than half of the 25,000 students at international universities in Dubai. For students like Raj, they offer the chance to earn an internationally recognised degree while staying close to their loved ones.
For Khalid and his fellow students, the ability to transfer to their institution's home campus, whether in the UK, US or elsewhere, is a big draw card to studying in Dubai.
Since 2007, international branch campuses in Dubai have been regulated by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Its mandate is simple: allow only accredited universities with recognised programmes to open a campus in Dubai; and make sure that all higher education students receive a high quality education.
To achieve this goal, KHDA set up the University Quality Assurance International Board (UQAIB) in 2008. Comprising a group of quality assurance and higher education experts from around the world, the board meets regularly to vet applications from institutions wishing to offer degrees in Dubai, and to ensure that the programmes on offer by existing institutions are of the same quality as those taught in the home campuses.
The quality of education British universities in Dubai offer is also assured by the Quality Assurance Agency in the UK.
For students like Catherine, quality assurance such as this meant that she could finish her classes at Heriot-Watt in Scotland on Friday and continue them at Heriot-Watt in Dubai on Sunday.
As a result of UQAIB's work in improving quality in higher education, the government of Dubai passed Law 21 in 2012, allowing students like Khalid, Raj and Catherine to have their degrees attested by KHDA and guaranteeing that this degree will be recognised by the public and private sectors in Dubai.
As Dubai's economy continues to grow and diversify, KHDA will continue to look for higher education providers able to produce the graduates who can meet its needs.
For Raj, Khalid and Catherine, Dubai's strategic location and range of institutions and programmes means it's not just a place where they can go to university, but also where they can grow their careers and call home.
Dr Warren Fox is chief of higher education, Knowledge and Human Development Authority of Dubai
www.khda.gov.ae
