Indian students top Dubai’s global intake at 43%; Pakistanis at 6%

Dubai: Indian students make up the largest group of international students in Dubai’s higher education sector, accounting for 43 per cent in the 2024–25 academic year, according to the statistics released by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

They are followed by students from Russia and Pakistan (6 per cent each), China (4 per cent) and Kazakhstan (3 per cent). Overall, international students comprise 35.2 per cent of Dubai’s private higher education population.

Dubai is home to 42,026 students enrolled across 41 private higher education institutions, including 37 international university campuses. The emirate has seen a sharp 20.4 per cent increase in total enrolment in 2024–25, up from 12.3 per cent the previous academic year.

The number of international students also rose, with intake climbing from 25.3 per cent to 29.4 per cent, reflecting the city’s growing appeal as a global education hub.

The most popular specialisations among international students are business (54 per cent), information technology and engineering (11 per cent each), media and design (6 per cent), and humanities (3 per cent). In terms of qualification levels, 53 per cent of international students are pursuing bachelor’s degrees, while 37 per cent are enrolled in master’s programmes.

According to the academic trends among 3,832 Emirati students, 62 per cent are enrolled in bachelor’s programmes, 28 per cent in master’s and 8 per cent are pursuing doctorates.

Their preferred fields of study include business (42 per cent), engineering (21 per cent), information technology (15 per cent), law and humanities (5 per cent each).

In a breakdown of the 2,123 faculty members teaching across Dubai’s higher education institutions, Indian nationals make up the largest group at 29 per cent. They are followed by UK (13 per cent), Pakistan (6 per cent), US and Lebanon (5 per cent each).