Dubai pushes bid to attract more international students

Dubai is pushing its bid to continue attracting more international students, a government official has said. Dr. Warren Fox, Chief of Higher Education at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, KHDA in Dubai, said that international students currently make up 30 percent of all higher education students in the city.

Latest figures show there are over 60,000 higher education or university students in Dubai, accounting for a 65 percent increase in enrolment figures since the establishment of KHDA in 2007. Since then, enrolment has grown an average of 10 percent annually.

"Dubai has shown to the world it can become a leading global business hub, and is leveraging this success to attract international students to come to the emirate to pursue higher education studies here. This reputation as a world-class commercial and trading centre is one of the top reasons why international students are coming to Dubai," said Dr. Fox.

According to Dr. Fox, location is also an important consideration, and Dubai is an increasingly attractive choice, being within eight hours travelling time from two-thirds of anywhere in the world