Higher education institutions in Dubai are either branch campuses of international universities or private universities located inside or outside Free Zones. In addition, there are three campuses of federal institutions, which mainly cater to Emirati students seeking tertiary qualifications. Dubai’s higher education institutions offer a wide range of programmes, including vocational diplomas and higher diplomas, and degrees at associate, bachelor, master and doctoral levels. The Emirate currently has more than 43,000 college students from over 60 different countries and this has created a rich and varied learning environment.

KHDA’s role in higher education is to provide academic authorisation and support quality assurance for all Free Zone universities in Dubai. To understand more about the higher education landscape in Dubai, we recommend that you read Higher Education Landscape in Dubai, 2012.