Falling rupee likely to help UAE varsities attract Indian students
EXPERT CITES COST-BENEFIT ADVANTAGE FOR PRICE-SENSITIVE APPLICANTS FROM INDIA
The falling Indian rupee makes universities in the UAE more attractive than institutions in the West for “the more price-sensitive” applicants from India, a student recruitment expert told Gulf News yesterday.
Rupert Merrick, director of BMI Media, which organises student recruitment fairs internationally, said: “You have to remember that the dirham is linked to the dollar, so if the rupee is down against the dirham, it is also down against the dollar.
“As the UAE is more of a cost-effective location, I think those more price-sensitive students from India will be saying, ‘I want to study overseas, [but] maybe the UK and northern Europe is a bit out of reach — what is my next opportunity?’”
Merrick’s comments came on the sidelines of the launch of a new study titled ‘Transnational Student Mobility and University Trends in 2018: University Marketing Methodologies, Offerings and Student Recruitment Strategies’.
Even though there are cheaper areas to study than the UAE, the UAE can have that cost-benefit advantage, Merrick added.
One main advantage, according to Merrick, is that “you can get a world-class degree here in the UAE, often delivered by a foreign university”. ■
A number of leading western universities — including New York University, University of Birmingham and ParisSorbonne University — have campuses in the UAE offering the same degree as the home campus, but at lower tuition fees and living expenses.
Indian applicants are finding it harder to pay for university abroad as the rupee has fallen to around 74 to a dollar (a little over 20 per UAE dirham).
The number of applicants from India attending university in the UAE were not available at the event, though.
The study was conducted by BMI Media in partnership with Dubai international Academic City (DIAC).
It surveyed 104 universities from 41 countries, including five universities in the UAE, about their global student recruitment practices, among other things.
One of the main results of the study showed that India is widely perceived as the fastestgrowing market for international student admissions. A majority of surveyed institutions anticipate increased marketing activities in India in the next 12 months, putting China at a close second.
UAE-India synergy
The bilateral economic and commercial ties between India and the UAE are at an all-time high, the study noted, with relations being strengthened in trade, investment, energy, artificial intelligence, space, and other sectors.
UAE universities can expect to benefit from this strengthening ■ relationship with an increased number of Indian students travelling to the UAE for higher education, the study added.
Speaking at the event, Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of DIAC, said: “Through our research, we aim to continue driving the development of higher education, and identify opportunities for universities, students and agents alike.
“The UAE is a growing higher education hub with 83 per cent of the UAE universities surveyed experiencing growth and the student numbers at DIAC increasing by 7 per cent over the previous academic year.
“The government’s recent changes to residency visa regulations for students will definitely support this trend.” ■ ■ ■
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reported growth, of up to 16 to 20 per cent in one case. Only one of the five surveyed universities reported negative growth.
of surveyed universities reported up to 5 per cent growth in the last year