Stephen Wilkins
THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
(UAE)
Population: 5.1 million
Main Cities: Abu Dhabi, Dubai
Centres for international higher
education: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah,
Ras al Khaimah
Number of private higher education
institutions: 69
(Source: CAA, 2011)
Number of international branch
campuses: 40+
INTERNATIONAL BRANCH CAMPUSES IN THE UAE - EXAMPLES
Australia
• University of Wollongong – est. 1993 - 4,352 students (2010-11)
• Murdoch University - est. 2008
France
• Paris-Sorbonne - est. 2006 - fully funded by Abu Dhabi government
Switzerland
• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) - est. 2009 in RAK
United Kingdom
• Heriot-Watt University - est. 2005
• Middlesex University - est. 2005 - 1,700 students
United States
• New York University - est. 2006 - fully funded by Abu Dhabi government
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
IN THE UAE
 Large expatriate population with few alternatives for higher
education in the UAE
 Insufficient capacity in the state education system
 Incentives and funding from UAE government
 Source of revenue for institutions
 Facilitates two-way movement of students between home and
branch campuses
 Meets the needs of local employers and economy
 Contributes to raising quality of UAE higher education
POTENTIAL PERILS AND PITFALLS FOR INSTITUTIONS
o Very competitive market – failure to meet student enrolment targets
o Financial loss – costs higher, revenues lower than expected
o Quality of students
o Quality of academic staff
o Quality assurance concerns – learning resources and assessment
o Difficult to offer a student experience that is comparable with the
home campus
o Unpredictable regulatory regime
o Potential loss of reputation and damage to brand image
STUDY 1: Why do students choose to study at international branch
campuses?
STUDY 2: How satisfied are students at international branch campuses
with their overall student experience?
(Wilkins, Balakrishnan and Huisman – not yet published)
 Questionnaire – hard copy or online version
 Data obtained by students using social media and email
 Sample sizes: 320 and 247
 Several branch campuses – 3 US, 2 UK, 1 Australian
 Undergraduate and postgraduate students
 85-90% students studying Business/Management/Computer
Science/Information Technology
P1 push factors from home country
• Lack places
• Low quality
• Subjects not available
• Economic/social problems
P2 push factors
• Lack places
• Low quality
• Subjects not available
• Ineligibility to enter state institutions
P1 pull factors
• Reputation of country for quality
• Reputation of institution
• High rankings
• English speaking country
• Prospects international labour mkt.
• Experience a new culture
P2 pull factors
• Convenience
• Country-specific advantages
• Better than state institutions
• Prospects in local labour market
• More familiar/comfortable with
culture/lifestyle in UAE
Home campus of Western university
International branch campus
STUDENT SATISFACTION AT BRANCH CAMPUSES
IN THE UAE
Indicator
% students
agreeing with
statementa
So far, my course has met all of my expectations
64.4%
I am very satisfied with my university and would
definitely choose it again
66.5%
My choice of university was a wise decision
72.0%
My programme offers good value for money
65.6%
I would recommend my university to friends
67.3%
a
Scores of 5-7 on the 7-point rating scale.
Programme effectiveness – 7.1 / 10
Quality of lecturers and teaching – 7.2 /10
Student learning – 7.1 / 10
Assessment and feedback – 7.2 / 10
Learning resources – 7.1 / 10
Use of technology – 7.1 / 10
Facilities and quality of social life – 7.2 / 10
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
o Need more contact with lecturers (17.9%)
o Do not receive detailed and helpful feedback on my work (20.7%)
o Lecturers not sympathetic when I have problems (18.7%)
o My university does not provide a lot of leisure activities and entertainment
for students (17.5%)
o My university does not have a lot of clubs and societies for students (15.9%)
o There is not a lively social scene on campus (15.8%)
o My university does not have a good careers advice and internships service
(16.6%)
CONCLUSION
 Generally high levels of student satisfaction across all UAE
branch campuses represented in the survey
 Student satisfaction scores in this study lower than similar
studies in UK (e.g. Times Higher Education Student Experience
Survey 2011)