Dubai: More UK, European students choose to study in the city, says academic figure

Khaleej Times

18-02-2025

There is a growing interest among students worldwide even those from the UK and Europe to choose Dubai for their educational and career development, according to an academic figure from one of the world's most prestigious business schools.
Specialists noted that although mid-career can be a challenging period, many often view executive MBA programmes as a way to boost their careers. Therefore, many professionals are opting to live and work in Dubai, especially with schools like London Business School offering hybrid learning options here for some of their programmes.
In an interview with Khaleej Times, Ben Hardy, academic director, leadership programmes and clinical professor of organisational behaviour at London Business School said: 'We continue to see strong demand for our Executive MBA (EMBA) programme in Dubai, with our most recent September intake growing in numbers compared to previous years and our January intake in line with the prior year. When we talk with candidates, the appeal of studying at London Business School is clear. The School offers a worldclass programme with a reputation for excellence in our teaching. Our campus locations in London and Dubai are ideal locations to live, study and build a global career. Finally, our community of both current students and our alumni are recognised as global, diverse and extremely welcoming and engaging.'
Hardy emphasised that over the past 12 months, while 46 per cent of their students were nationals from the Middle East, a total of 75 per cent of all students were based in the region, with the majority residing in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Among those studying in Dubai but living elsewhere, students in the past year have included 'residents of the UK, Turkey, India, and Azerbaijan'.
He added, 'Every year we see around 100 students studying the EMBA programme on our Dubai campus. We attract students who are born and living in the Middle East, others from further afield who are based in the region, and also students who commute to Dubai from outside the region to take part in the programme.'
Hardy added, 'Overall, we anticipate over 80 students from the Middle East region to be studying our new Smart EMBA, with the majority choosing our September and January programmes based in Dubai. The development of the new January 2026 programme offering a mix of in-person and online learning may also change some of the decisions on where to study compared to previous years. We anticipate this new format might encourage some students, for example, who are based in the UK or Europe to instead choose to study in Dubai. Likewise, we expect interest from more Middle Eastern students to study on our London campus.'
Building networks
He stressed that students value the opportunity to build networks and learn from each other.
'So, our new degree formats still have at least 40 per cent of the core course face-to-face, where students will be with their colleagues. When they select from over 100 electives on offer, they'll also get the opportunity to get to network and build a community with the wider LBS community.'
Hardy also emphasised that mid-career can often feel like the toughest stretch in one's professional journey, balancing the demands of work, family, and the constant push for continuous learning.
'You're being pulled in different directions by work, family and continuous learning. Education is an investment in the future, and in a region like the GCC, with the terrific rate of development that we see, there is a danger of the world evolving past you. Continuous learning is tough, but it is do-able. We know from talking to many alumni that there are phases where it seems all consuming, but you will survive. Keep on top of the work by chipping away at it all the time and you can manage to balance everything,' added Hardy.