Dubai To Host Three Major International Universities, Including IIM Ahmedabad, From 2025-26 (image-X/DubaiDET)

Dubai is all set to welcome three international universities including India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year, the Dubai Media Office announced on Wednesday.

India’s IIM is ranked 27th globally in the QS World University Rankings by subject. The institute is making its international debut with a campus in Dubai. The American University of Beirut (AUB) from Lebanon, and Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences from Saudi Arabia are the other top universities to establish their campuses in the emirate.

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The Dubai Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has confirmed the upcoming arrival of these three institutions. The American University of Beirut holds a respectable 237th position in the overall global QS ranking. Moreover, with the entry of Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences, it assures Dubai’s growing diversity in specialised educational fields.

“Dubai’s initiative to attract the best global universities, endorsed by The Executive Council, reflects the emirate’s international stature. Dubai’s visionary leaders have ensured all the resources necessary to position the emirate as a global leader and a top destination for students and prestigious international higher education institutions,” Dr. Wafi Dawood, CEO of the Strategic Development Sector at KHDA, highlighting the significance of this development in an interview with Khaleej Times (KT), said.

According to the KT report, several major universities have shown interest in opening their campuses in Dubai and many of them are currently in discussion while others are pending final approval.

Currently, in Dubai, there are 41 private international higher education providers, 37 of which are branch campuses of globally recognised universities. Among them, the University of Manchester Dubai and the University of Birmingham Dubai have parent campuses ranked in the top 100 in the QS World University Rankings 2026, at 35th and 76th respectively.

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The latest expansion in the education sector is part of a broader strategy under the global university attraction project. The initiative seeks to create a robust academic ecosystem by blending transnational education with local programmes that invest in scientific research and cross-border collaboration.