UAE could cash in on fee hike in UK universities

DUBAI - Educational experts world over are arguing the effects of the increased tuition fees in Britain and how it would affect Britain's domestic students.

by

Muaz Shabandri

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Published: Thu 5 May 2011, 12:20 AM

Last updated: Tue 12 Oct 2021, 9:38 AM

While branch campuses of British universities offer the same degrees outside the UK, the new education reforms in that country would lead to an increase in student mobility, experts discussed at the fifth QS university rankings and evaluation workshop 
in Dubai.

Speaking with Khaleej Times, Dr Kevin Downing, Deputy Registrar at the City University of Hong Kong, said, “For students in the UK, coming to the Middle East gives them a sense of cultural enrichment and it is sometimes even cheaper. They receive the same degree as they would if they graduate from the UK but the cultural experience of working and living with colleagues in another part of the world holds a lot of importance.”

He added, “The time has come for the educational system in the UAE to become successful and work as a role model for other countries to follow. British universities have tripled their fees and, as a result, many universities from the UK are willing to set partnerships with universities in the 
Middle East.”

However, Nunzio Quacquarelli, founder and chief executive of QS, says the migration of students from the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries would continue as usual.

“There is a high degree of mobility within this region and among other parts of the world. A significant number of students in the Middle East are going to continue studying in the US, the UK and Europe as they look for a foreign learning experience. Increasingly, some students are also moving to Asian countries like Singapore and Korea,” said Nunzio Quacquarelli.

The session hosted in Dubai by QS announced results of the latest world rankings for universities offering courses in life sciences, medicine, biology and psychology.

“The QS World University Rankings are aimed at students looking to continue higher education in a foreign country as the rankings provide students with an overview of the institutions which have strengths in research quality, graduate employability and teaching commitment,” 
added Nunzio.

The ranking which started in 2004 has become increasingly popular as over 50 million people worldwide use them to make informed decisions. At 372, UAE University is the only university from the UAE to feature on the list of top 500 universities in the world.

While other universities in the UAE have not made it to the ranking table, QS is working on creating a regional ranking system for universities in the Middle East.

“We are working on a project with our regional partners to gather data about universities in the Middle East to come out with a regional ranking for universities based here. There is a need for more in-depth evaluation of universities in the region,” said Nunzio.

Highlighting the UAE’s growth as an international education destination, he added, “The UAE is trying to fast track development of high quality universities and not just catering for domestic students but also a large number of international students. It is proving to be successful but the UAE needs to develop its own universities if it wants to build a reputation as a centre of educational excellence.”

Students may visit www.topuniversities.com to see the latest world university ranking online.

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