New Gulf campus for Birmingham University by late 2018

Birmingham University is on a global mission to bring their higher education to the world.

The English university is planning to set up campus in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and the first phase of the project is expected to open in autumn 2018, reports the BBC.

“Opening a campus in Dubai is the next step in our global mission and demonstrates our ambition as an outward looking, world-class institution,” Principal and Vice-Chancellor Prof Sir David Eastwood said on the school’s website.

Discover everything you need to know about our new branch campus in Dubai. Download the prospectus now #uobdubai https://t.co/fJofnQp9Dw pic.twitter.com/pdCyTKfvsw

— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) May 24, 2017

The Dubai government welcomes Birmingham’s move to the “happy and collaborative” academic culture in the city, and predicts it will benefit the country’s youth.

“Known for its focus on positive education and wellbeing, the university will join 27 other private universities from 12 countries in a sector with 10 percent annual student growth,” Knowledge and Human Development Authority director-general Dr Abdulla Al Karam said.

“Its education programmes will add to the wide range of courses offered in Dubai, and will prepare more young people for happy and prosperous careers.”

Birmingham’s first Gulf outpost will be located in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), which houses 26 other universities, including American University in the Emirates, Heriot-Watt University Dubai and British University in Dubai.

Following the trend of European universities increasingly offering courses taught in English to attract more international students, most undergraduate and graduate courses at Birmingham’s Dubai campus will be taught in English as well.

The university gives assurance students at the Dubai campus will get the same accreditation to the same standards as those in its UK campus, according to its website.

https://twitter.com/IqbalUllah1/status/867834390705053697

Birmingham’s expansion adds another player to the more than 240 international branch campuses around the world, based on data by the Cross-Border Education Research Team at the State University of New York.

Another 20 are slated to be opened, but there have been closures, too. More than 40 foreign outposts have been forced to shut down – University of Waterloo in Dubai, in DIAC, being one of them due to low enrollment numbers.

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