The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) inked a pact with UAE on Wednesday to set up its campus in Dubai, its first overseas campus.
The premier business school will offer full-time one-year MBA programme for the global market at its Dubai campus. This is the first time for any IIM to open an international campus.
The campus will be established in two phases. Initially, IIMA will be provided with space in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), the region’s premier higher education hub with a multicultural environment. In the second phase, IIMA will be provided with land for a permanent campus which will be operational from 2029.
Experts said that although National Education Policy 2020 promotes Indian educational institutes to expand their brands globally, most reputed institutes like IITs and IIMs didn’t have campuses outside India.
The admission to the MBA programme at the Dubai campus will follow a two-stage process based on the standardised GMAT/GRE score taken within the last five years.
So far, IIMs are giving international exposure to their students through exchange programmes with other top league institutes. This move will expand the reach of IIMA, and help it in attracting international faculty and students which is a weak area for most IIMs currently. For instance, in the FT MBA 2025 rankings, IIMA has just 3% international faculty and 2% international students.
Spread over five terms, the programme will provide academics and international exposure within a learning environment that mirrors the reputation of IIM Ahmedabad’s globally renowned MBA. The admission process will start shortly, and the first batch will begin in September 2025.
Without divulging details on the batch strength and fee structure, an IIMA spokesperson said that the offerings at the Dubai campus will be of very high quality at competitive fees. “Our presence in Dubai offers unparalleled access to international markets, world-class faculty, and a diverse, high-achieving peer group alongside IIM Ahmedabad’s legacy of academic rigour and international exposure for personal and professional growth. Our presence in Dubai will also strengthen our offerings in India, and together, these two campuses will help us become a global leader in management education,” said Bharat Bhasker, director of IIMA.