Indian students are increasingly exploring Dubai as a destination for higher education. While countries like the USA, UK, and Canada continue to dominate outbound education flows, Dubai’s policy framework, institutional presence, and proximity to India are contributing to its growing appeal.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), over 1.3 million Indian students were studying overseas as of 2023. Though exact figures for the UAE are not publicly broken down by education category, the country remains among the top five destinations for Indian students globally. Much of this trend has been attributed to a combination of visa access, employment prospects, and the presence of global universities in the region.

Visa processing times for the UAE are relatively short, with most student applications cleared within 20 working days. Students also have access to policies like the Golden Visa for high-performing graduates and the Job Seeker Visa, both of which are designed to enable smoother post-study transitions. Accommodation options, ranging from on-campus residences to rental apartments, tend to be more affordable when compared with cities like London, Sydney, or New York.

Dubai’s proximity to India, coupled with cultural familiarity and an established South Asian diaspora, continues to be a factor in decision-making for Indian families. Travel access and support systems have added to the city’s visibility among prospective applicants.

The city’s broader economic shift has also played a role. As Dubai diversifies into sectors such as finance, technology, sustainability, and logistics, universities have started aligning their programmes with emerging industry needs. This includes expanding internship access, updating course content to reflect accreditation standards, and offering more structured career support.

Heriot-Watt University Dubai, one of several institutions with a physical campus in the UAE, reports a significant presence of Indian nationals. “Currently, we have over 5,000 students at our Dubai campus, and over 2,200 of them are Indian nationals,” said Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai.

She added that students across our campuses are pursuing a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in fields such as data science, international business, psychology, construction project management, accountancy, analytics, and computer science.

Many of these programmes are designed to reflect changing workforce demands, with greater emphasis on applied knowledge, analytics, consultancy, and interdisciplinary skills. Financial aid has also emerged as an important factor for students considering the region.

“At Heriot-Watt University Dubai, we currently have a special 20th Anniversary Award to commemorate our 20 years in Dubai. A discount of AED 20,000 is offered to students applying to selected programmes for the September 2025 intake. We also have our Future Made Scholarship that offers an AED 5,000 discount to any student across our foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate programmes. Both are valid for students who apply and pay the tuition fee deposit by July 31, 2025,” Professor McGregor said.

Job prospects in the UAE remain another consideration. Global firms such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Visa, Coca-Cola, KPMG, IBM, and Cisco have a presence in the country. These companies are among the potential recruiters for students completing their studies at Dubai-based campuses.

“Our students have been placed in renowned companies such as Wipro, WSP in the Middle East, KPMG, Shell, and Amazon, among others,” Professor McGregor added.

Universities such as Heriot-Watt have integrated career services into their academic support, offering platforms like job fairs and corporate networking sessions to help bridge the transition from classroom to employment.

While Dubai has positioned itself as a regional education hub in recent years, its competitive advantage for Indian students appears to lie in a combination of factors — geographical proximity, visa facilitation, institutional tie-ups, and emerging job market alignment. As families assess the cost-benefit of studying abroad, Dubai continues to enter the shortlist of cities being considered for both undergraduate and postgraduate education.