Market Intelligence Brief for UAE 2022

The United Arab Emirates is amongst the richest countries in the world in GDP per capita terms. Much of the country’s wealth has been derived from its position as one of the world’s leading crude oil producers, but the country has also successfully diversified into other sectors with strong growth in recent decades in areas such as retail, financial services and tourism. Despite the country's relatively small population, the UAE is a major source of international students. Student mobility is driven by the relatively high incomes of many Emirati households, generous scholarship provision by the UAE government as it seeks to enhance the competitiveness of the Emirati workforce, and the country's large expatriate population for whom studying abroad is an attractive option.

The UAE’s domestic education system has expanded significantly in recent decades and is one of the most developed education systems in the Middle East and North Africa region, catering for a diverse resident population. The education system within the UAE is highly privatised, with private schools accounting for almost two-thirds of schools in the country. Many of these schools teach an international curriculum which prepares students well for studying abroad.  At the same time the UAE has become an important regional hub for transnational education, with several universities offering HE qualifications from the UK or other overseas countries.

This 25-page report gives an overview of the UAE education system and the country's wider demographic, economic and political context, with a focus on international education trends in the country - including both student mobility and transnational education. It aims to provide useful information to UK education institutions and other UK stakeholders considering partnerships with UAE counterparts and to support further cooperation and engagement between the UK and the United Arab Emirates.