The UAE education market: size, supply and the emirates

This chapter sets out what the published record says about the size and supply of the eight education segments covered by this book, nationally and for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Other markets group. The headline is that UAE university enrolment reached 218,241 in 2025-26 across 103 institutions, but almost every other segment lacks a current, comparable count, and the counts that do exist describe different systems, scopes and reference dates (WAM reporting the Minister of Higher Education, 2026). Read each figure within its stated scope; do not add them together as a single measure of demand.

In brief

UAE higher education enrolled 218,241 students in 2025-26, with 64,859 new students and 103 institutions; 31,061 students graduated in 2024-25.

Sources disagree on what the reported 15% growth measures: WAM attaches it to new admissions, The National to total enrolment (WAM reporting MoHESR, 2026; The National, 2025).

Dubai's KHDA-regulated private higher education sector had 42,026 students at 41 institutions in 2024-25, 35% of them international, with total enrolment up 20% and international enrolment up 29%.

Dubai's 2033 targets include 50% international students, more than 70 international universities (from 37) and AED 5.6 billion of higher education GDP (Arabian Business; Dubai Media Office / KHDA).

India supplies 43% of Dubai's international students; Russia and Pakistan supply 6% each (Gulf News citing KHDA, 2024).

Nursery supply is published by each emirate on a different basis: 312 early childhood centres in Dubai (June 2025), 233 nurseries in Abu Dhabi (October 2025), 161 licensed private nurseries and 32 government nurseries in Sharjah (Khaleej Times reporting KHDA; ADEK).

No current official count exists for training institutes outside Dubai, for private tutors, or for higher education enrolment in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah or Umm Al Quwain (KHDA, 2026; Aletihad, 2023). Gap boxes record these.

All market size figures found are paywalled syndicated estimates; IMARC sizes UAE edtech at USD 1,350.5 million and higher education at USD 170.0 million for 2025.

The 2026 regional conflict moved all levels of education to distance learning from 2 March 2026; all levels returned in person on 20 April 2026 (Annahar English; The National).

How to read counts within scope

Official education statistics in the UAE come from different authorities: the federal Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) in Dubai, the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) in Abu Dhabi, the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) and the Sharjah higher education council. Each publishes data for its own system, using its own reference dates and definitions. The table below keeps each recorded value with its period and evidence grade, as in the ONS draft, and adds the newer figures found for this edition.

Three rules follow. First, a stock (students enrolled) is not an annual admissions market: the 218,241 enrolled students and the 64,859 new students are different populations, and the 31,061 graduates belong to a different year (WAM reporting the Minister of Higher Education, 2026). Second, nursery places, children enrolled, course approvals and training registrations should not be added, because one learner may register for several short courses. Third, the frequently repeated Dubai figures of 1,167 training institutes and 70,504 approved courses come from a 2021 KHDA landscape publication; they are historical and are excluded from current market sizing.

ONS reading Use a bottom-up opportunity model for the actual institution. Begin with approved programmes and available places; then define eligible audiences, serviceable locations, language and timetable. Estimate reachable demand from keyword planning and first-party enquiry data, and apply observed progression to offers, payment and starts. This produces an acquisition plan with assumptions that can be checked. Do not multiply the entire university population by a sample tuition fee: enrolment includes continuing students, different fee arrangements and institutions outside the target commercial set.

The national picture: population and higher education

Population base

The UAE population was 11,294,243 in 2024, up from 10,678,556 in 2023, according to Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre estimates compiled by the Gulf Labour Markets and Migration programme. Dubai had 4,807,185 residents on 28 September 2026, up 226,885 since the start of 2026 (Gulf News citing Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment). Abu Dhabi emirate had 4,135,985 residents in 2024, a rise of 7.5% (DGE Abu Dhabi). Sharjah's 2025 census counted 2,135,888 people (Khaleej Times). No official population figure for the Other markets emirates was found.

Enrolment, intake and graduates

The Minister of Higher Education reported 218,241 students enrolled in UAE universities in 2025-26, 64,859 new students, 31,061 graduates in 2024-25 and 103 institutions. The same release, carried by Dubai Eye 103.8 from WAM, describes the 64,859 intake as the highest in five years and adds about 2,500 programmes and more than 10,600 faculty (Dubai Eye 103.8 citing WAM, 2024). Arabian Post, citing MoHESR, gives 10,633 faculty. Of the total, about 124,000 students are Emirati, and about 32,000 of the more than 64,000 new admissions are Emirati (Arabian Post, 2025; Arabian Post, citing MoHESR, 2025). A British Council report gives 10,380 postgraduate students in 2022-23, 38% of them in flexible learning (Al Etihad).

The preceding intake is also on record. In 2024-25, 57,035 new students joined 66 higher education institutions, a 13% rise, with 30,756 women (54%) and 26,281 men (Arabian Business). Times Higher Education described more than 57,000 new students in 2024-25 as the highest in over a decade. The ONS draft labelled the 64,859 figure as the preceding academic year; the newer research places it in 2025-26, and this edition follows the newer reading (Dubai Eye 103.8 citing WAM, 2024; Arabian Post, citing MoHESR).

The reported 15% growth figure carries two different meanings in the sources (WAM reporting MoHESR, 2026; The National, 2025). WAM, reporting MoHESR on 27 September 2026, says new admissions rose 15%, and Arabian Post headlines a 15% rise in intake. The National, on 20 October 2026, reports more than 218,000 students and a 15% year-on-year rise in total enrolment (The National, 2025). These two readings conflict. Published rounded growth must not be reverse-engineered into exact prior totals (WAM reporting MoHESR, 2026).

Sub-degree study is growing quickly from a small base: diploma and higher diploma enrolment rose from 3,995 in 2021-22 to 10,926 in 2025-26 (WAM reporting MoHESR, 2026). For training providers that sit close to the vocational boundary, this is the clearest official growth series in the notes.

Policy drivers behind intake

Two federal changes are cited as intake drivers. Ministerial Resolution 19 of 2024 gave universities autonomy over programmes and admission criteria, and the Unified Registration System is named alongside it (Gulf News). For Fall 2025-26, the MoHESR admissions portal cut document requirements by 86% and opened registration at 59 institutions, with an acceptance deadline of 11 August 2025. The National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, launched in September 2017, sets four pillars (quality, efficiency, innovation, harmonisation) and 33 initiatives but publishes no numeric targets on its government page (UAE Government portal u.ae).

International students and branch campuses

UNESCO data reported by ICEF Monitor record 237,034 inbound international students in the UAE in 2023, up from 54,162 in 2012. A British Council transnational education report, reported by Al Etihad, gives 237,000 international students in UAE higher education and ranks the UAE first in the GCC and Middle East. These figures are larger than the MoHESR total enrolment of 218,241 for 2025-26, so the two series cannot be on the same definition (WAM reporting the Minister of Higher Education, 2026). No 2025-26 count of international students for the UAE as a whole was found in any source checked, and this book does not calculate a national international share.

The UAE hosts 39 international branch campuses, second only to China with 51, out of 386 worldwide in the C-BERT data as of April 2026 (International Higher Education, Boston College). KHDA counts 37 international branch campuses in Dubai alone. The C-BERT and KHDA counts use different definitions and should not be added together (International Higher Education, Boston College, 2026).

Outbound and bilateral flows give context for Emirati demand. About 15,000 UAE students go overseas each year, about 18,600 studied abroad in 2022 (UNESCO) and the UK hosts more than 8,000 (Times Higher Education, 2026). UAE nationals' UK student visa applications fell from 638 in 2022 to 257 in 2025, according to the UK Home Office. India's Ministry of External Affairs counted 253,832 Indian students in the UAE on 1 January 2025, of whom 6,507 were in universities or tertiary study and 247,325 in schools; the notes flag the tertiary figure as a likely undercount.

QS Best Student Cities 2027 ranks Abu Dhabi 72nd (up 8 places), Dubai 79th and Sharjah 80th (Khaleej Times). Khalifa University is ranked 147th by QS, the first UAE institution in the top 150 (The National, 2026).

For marketersA university that writes "the UAE hosts 237,000 international students" next to "218,000 students in UAE universities" will publish two numbers that cannot both be on the same basis. Cite one series, name its source and year, and leave the other out of the same sentence.

Supply across the eight segments

The table below summarises the evidence recorded for each segment and emirate. Segments 1 to 5 (certification, IT and AI, healthcare, language and exam preparation, corporate and safety training) are licensed in Dubai as KHDA training institutes and in Abu Dhabi by ACTVET, so no published count separates them. Blank cells are gaps, not zeros.

Training institutes: a directory count, not a statistic

KHDA's training directory displayed "Showing 1731 Training" on 27 October 2026. This is the directory's listing count, which may include multi-branch entries; it is not a KHDA-published statistic. The 2021 KHDA landscape gave 1,167 training institutes and 70,504 approved courses. The two figures measure different things (live listings against a published institution count), so this edition does not present the difference as growth.

Tutoring: a permit regime with no published volume

Individual tutors need the Private Teacher Work Permit issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation with the Ministry of Education under Decision 710 of 2023 (Aletihad). It is free and valid for two years, and tutoring without it is fined under labour law (Aletihad, 2023; MOHRE, 2026). Tutoring centres are licensed as training institutes. No figure for permits issued was found.

Market size estimates

No official market size in AED or USD exists for any of the eight segments. The only values found are syndicated research estimates whose methods are not visible. They are listed here for completeness and graded.

IMARC puts UAE edtech at USD 1,350.5 million in 2025, the largest of its four UAE education estimates

Market size estimates, USD million, UAE, 2025 base and 2034 forecast (IMARC definitions, method not visible)

View chart data

Label	2025 (USD m)	2034 forecast (USD m)
Edtech	1350.5	3535.5
Online education	531.9	3513.8
IT training	397.5	516.4
Higher education	170.0	898.6

The IMARC higher education value is flagged in the notes as looking low against enrolment, and its definition is unclear. The IT training growth rate of 2.86% sits far below IMARC's 22.64% online education rate, but the two use different definitions. HolonIQ's 2025 MENA EdTech 50 list is 18% UAE companies, which ONS calculates as about 9 companies. Alpen Capital figures found were GCC-wide only and should not be read as UAE values.

ONS reading These estimates are context, not facts a provider should repeat in its own marketing. None can be split by emirate or by the segments in this book, and the higher education value cannot be reconciled with the official enrolment count.

Early childhood across the emirates

Arthur D. Little, reported by Khaleej Times in October 2026, puts UAE pre-primary enrolment at about 82%, the highest in the GCC; the GCC target of 95% kindergarten enrolment by 2035 would need about 11,600 new kindergartens region-wide. A 2016 PwC profile gave UAE pre-K participation (ages 0 to 2) of 3% against an OECD 33%, and nursery enrolment of about 8,900; that profile is historical (PwC).

Dubai reports 312 early childhood centres, the largest published nursery stock of any emirate

Published count of nurseries or early childhood centres, by emirate and type; reference dates differ (June 2025 to 2026-27); no count for Other markets

View chart data

Label	Centres (centres)
Dubai ECCs (Jun 2025)	312
Abu Dhabi nurseries (Oct 2025)	233
Sharjah licensed private nurseries (2026-27)	161
Sharjah government nurseries (2025-26)	32
Other markets

The counts in this chart do not share a definition. Dubai counts early childhood centres regulated by KHDA; Abu Dhabi's 233 is ADEK's emirate total reported on 6 October 2025; Sharjah's 161 are SPEA-licensed private nurseries, with government nurseries counted separately (Khaleej Times reporting KHDA, 2025; ADEK, 2025). Fee data are directory-grade only: Edarabia lists sample nursery fees of AED 17,500 to 29,500 in Dubai, AED 26,070 to 28,500 in Abu Dhabi and AED 24,000 in Al Ain (likely annual, but the page does not state the period), and its directory heading showed 384 UAE nurseries when checked in October 2026.

Dubai

Higher education: the growth series

For KHDA-regulated private higher education, the 2024-25 baseline records 42,026 students, a record, at 41 institutions including 37 international branch campuses, with 706 programmes. Enrolment grew 20% and international enrolment 29% (Dubai Media Office / KHDA, 2024). International students made up 35%, defined as people who came to Dubai specifically to study; that definition does not include every non-Emirati resident (KHDA and Dubai Media Office, 2025; Gulf News reporting KHDA, 2025).

Gulf News, citing KHDA, adds detail: the international share of new intake rose from 25.3% to 29.4%, international students were 35.2% of the student population, Emirati students numbered 3,832, and total growth was 20.4% against 12.3% the year before. Emirati enrolment at Dubai's international universities rose 22% (Khaleej Times citing KHDA, 2024; Gulf Business, 2024). Faculty numbered 2,123, of whom 29% were Indian and 13% British (Gulf News citing KHDA, 2024).

The earliest point in the series is 2021-22, when KHDA recorded 29,168 students at 34 international institutions, 609 programmes and a 28% international share, with a reported 3.6% annual growth figure whose base is not clear from the notes. Over the three years to 2026-27, Dubai added 11 higher education institutions and higher education enrolment rose 29% (Dubai Media Office, 2023; Dubai Media Office). Four new international universities opened in 2024-25; three more (IIM Ahmedabad, American University of Beirut and Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences) were announced for 2025-26; and two more (AUB Dubai from September 2026 and Peking University HSBC Business School, MBA and EMBA from January 2027) for 2026-27 (Dubai Media Office; Dubai Media Office / KHDA).

One trade press count conflicts with KHDA's. The PIE News, quoting KHDA in January 2025, reported 57 international institutions in Dubai, most of them branch campuses (9 from the UK) (The PIE News, 2024). KHDA's own release gives 41 institutions and 37 branch campuses. The difference is unexplained in the notes; this edition uses the KHDA figure.

International students rose from 28% to 35% of Dubai private HE; the 2033 target is 50%

International students as % of KHDA-regulated private higher education enrolment, Dubai; 2033 is a target

View chart data

Label	International share (%)
2021-22	28
2024-25	35
2033 target	50

Where Dubai's international students come from

KHDA data reported by Gulf News show India supplying 43% of Dubai's international students in 2024-25, followed by Russia and Pakistan at 6% each, China at 4% and Kazakhstan at 3%. Other reports give 42%: a Fateh Education quote in The PIE says more than 42% of international students are Indian, and The Week reports India at 42% of all students, with local (UAE) students at 9% and Pakistan at 7% or more. The 42% and 43% figures use different bases (all students against international students) and should be cited with their base (Gulf News citing KHDA, 2024; The Week, 2024).

India supplies 43% of Dubai's international higher education students

Share of international students in Dubai private higher education by nationality, %, AY 2024-25 (top five published)

View chart data

Label	Share (%)
India	43
Russia	6
Pakistan	6
China	4
Kazakhstan	3

Institution examples show growth is uneven. Middlesex University Dubai reported more than 6,400 students in 2025, up 12%, with international students up 39% (GESS Education; The PIE News, 2024). Symbiosis Dubai reported enrolment up 120% and UE Dubai up 25% to 30% (The Week, 2024). Heriot-Watt Dubai reported September 2025 applications up 53.5% but 2024-25 enrolments up 4.5% (Gulf News).

Dubai's 2033 targets

The Dubai Education 33 strategy and the D33 agenda set the following higher education targets for 2033: international universities from 37 to more than 70; international students at 50% of enrolment; 11 Dubai universities in the global top 200; AED 5.6 billion added to GDP by higher education; 90% of Emirati graduates employed within six months; and a new student visa system with graduate work visas (Arabian Business). KHDA's own release adds a tenfold rise in educational tourism and a top-10 global student city ranking.

Early childhood, schools pipeline and wider growth

Dubai's early childhood sector had 312 centres and 29,634 children in June 2025, with 38 new centres in the year, 8% enrolment growth and 163 nationalities (Indian, British and Emirati the largest) (Khaleej Times reporting KHDA; Dubai Media Office, 2024). In 2023 it had 250 centres and more than 23,500 children, with growth of 15% after 12% in 2022; two-thirds of children were aged 2 to 4 and about 80% attended five days a week (AGBI). For 2026-27, KHDA announced 26 new private institutions, including 17 early childhood centres with more than 1,700 seats. Across early childhood, schools and higher education, Dubai's private sector grew 4.6% a year over three years (Dubai Media Office, 2026). Dubai opened 51 new private educational institutions over the past two academic years (Gulf News, 2025).

For marketersNew capacity is supply, not occupancy. Eighty-seven new centres against 2.6% enrolment growth over three years points to more competition per child in Dubai's early years market, so a nursery should update campaigns by age group, days and hours available (Dubai Media Office, 2026).

ONS reading A single Dubai campaign can mix very different decisions and conceal the reason an enquiry fails. Resident school leavers, working professionals, international prospects, parents and employers resolve different questions, so they need separate campaigns. Location is part of the product: test actual catchments around each teaching site, and explain the campus entrance, parking, public transport and timetable using verified institution information. A full class can still receive a clearly labelled waitlist enquiry, but should not be advertised as an immediately available place. Recommended first test: one programme or branch, one clearly defined audience and one completed admissions outcome; expand Dubai-wide only after location fit and enrolment quality are demonstrated.

Abu Dhabi

The figures cover the whole emirate, which contains several local catchment areas. Abu Dhabi had 4,135,985 residents in 2024, up 7.5%, with 54% aged 25 to 44 (DGE Abu Dhabi).

Higher education

No ADEK or Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi figure for higher education enrolment was found. The only institution-level intake in the notes is Zayed University's: 2,358 new students at its Abu Dhabi campus and 1,432 in Dubai in 2026-27, 3,790 in all. This is one university's new entrants, not the size of Abu Dhabi higher education. Abu Dhabi hosts NYU Abu Dhabi, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi and federal institutions including Khalifa University and UAE University. IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi grew from 20 students in its first year (January 2024) to 80 in its second, and Sorbonne Abu Dhabi reported that international interest "nearly doubled" for 2025 (Careers360; Gulf News).

Nurseries

ADEK reported on 6 October 2025 that Abu Dhabi emirate had 233 nurseries, the current published total, after seven new private nurseries added 929 seats; all seven are listed in Abu Dhabi region areas (Al Reem, Madinat Zayed, Khalifa City, Al Hisn, Al Bateen, MBZ City and Yas). In March 2025, The National reported 225 existing private nurseries with 27,791 places and 15 new private nurseries adding 1,250 places, noting that ADEK had checked that fees were "reasonable and transparent" (The National). The count of 225 is from March 2025, while 233 is the reported total as of October 2025; the two may also differ in scope (private only against all nurseries), which the releases do not resolve (The National; ADEK). Public capacity is growing at the low-cost end: ADEK's Al Ghad Nurseries will reach 12,000 seats by 2029 in three phases, at AED 800 a month for eligible families with children aged 2 to 4 (Gulf News, 2026 to 2029). Edarabia reports that Abu Dhabi nursery fees typically range from AED 3,000 to AED 8,000 a month across 43 listed nurseries.

Training

In Abu Dhabi, CEC Resolution No. 152 of 2015 governs the licensing of training centres and ACTVET regulates technical and vocational institutions; a 2022 law-firm update states that training institutions need "the prior and written approval of KHDA/ACTVET in order to launch any advertising/marketing campaign" (Al Tamimi & Company). No ACTVET count of licensed training centres was found. Training centres with an Abu Dhabi trade licence are automatically approved as CME facilities through TAMM (DoH Abu Dhabi).

ONS reading Build separate pages for individual enrolment and employer enquiries: a professional may want the next public batch, while an HR team may need a tailored schedule, attendance reporting and a proposal for several sites. Name the delivery location in the ad and confirm it on the page. Offer Arabic and English journeys where the admissions team can support both. Confirm the applicable ACTVET, vocational or health authority route before using approval language. With no harmonised Abu Dhabi higher education or training totals, allocate budget using programme capacity and observed qualified demand, not a guessed emirate market share. Private nurseries should also expect Al Ghad's AED 800 a month seats to compete with the low end of the market.

Sharjah

Sharjah's 2025 census counted 2,135,888 residents, of whom 234,431 (11%) were Emirati and 67% were male; Sharjah city had 1,899,202, Khorfakkan 61,936 and Kalba 59,401 (Khaleej Times, 2025). Sharjah city, University City and the eastern locations should remain visible in the acquisition plan.

Higher education

The Sharjah Commission for Higher Education and Scientific Research lists 11 government-accredited institutions (8 universities and 3 academies). Its institution pages show student counters: University of Sharjah 21,139, American University of Sharjah 6,727, Al Qasimia 1,757, Khorfakkan 1,716, Al Dhaid 1,239 and Kalba 966; ONS sums the 11 to 35,261 (Sharjah Commission for Higher Education and Scientific Research). The ONS draft excluded these counters from market sizing because the directory states no common reference date; this edition shows them as undated institution counters, not as an emirate total, and the two treatments should be read together (Sharjah Council for Higher Education and Scientific Research, 2026).

University of Sharjah's counter shows 21,139 students, more than three times AUS's 6,727

Students shown on Sharjah Commission institution pages, six largest listed; reference date not stated

View chart data

Label	Students (students)
University of Sharjah	21139
American University of Sharjah	6727
Al Qasimia University	1757
Khorfakkan University	1716
Al Dhaid University	1239
Kalba University	966

Other reports give different values for the same institutions. AUS's own 2024-25 prospectus describes more than 6,000 students from more than 90 nationalities (American University of Sharjah). University of Sharjah welcomed more than 5,000 new students; The National's report (October 2026) is read in one notes file as the start of 2026-27 and in the other as 2025-26 (The National). The year is unresolved.

Private education, nurseries and training

SPEA reports more than 204,000 students, 135 licensed private schools (6 new), 161 licensed nurseries (7 new) and 5 new early childhood centres for 2026-27, and 321 staff training courses (Sharjah24; Gulf News). The ONS draft used an earlier SPEA figure of more than 201,000 learners across private schools, government and private nurseries and training centres (September 2025). Both are mixed totals dominated by schools, which are outside the scope of this book; neither can establish university, tutoring or specialist training demand. Sharjah also has 32 government nurseries with 2,546 children in 2025-26, rising to 35, with five more under construction (Al Abar, Al Mawrada, Kashisha, Al Nouf, Tawila) and three completed in Kalba and Khorfakkan (Sharjah Education Academy; Gulf Business, 2026). No SPEA count of training centres was found.

ONS reading Separate enquiries by home or work area and intended teaching site, and ask about preferred attendance mode before classifying a lead as qualified. Compare the proportion that attends a consultation or trial, not only the cost of the initial form. If travel is the repeated obstacle, test a live online option or a different schedule before broadening spend. Recommended first test: curriculum or course plus serviceable location, with attended assessment or consultation as the first quality checkpoint. This is an ONS hypothesis to validate, not a claim of lower Sharjah advertising costs.

Other markets: Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain

Grouping these emirates is useful for reporting, but their markets differ and the research contains almost no data on education provision in them. Ajman University reported a headcount of 7,124 in Fall 2024 and 7,090 in Spring 2025, 90% undergraduate, and its enrolment passed 10,000 for the first time in 2026-27. No institution or student counts were found for Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah or Umm Al Quwain. Published fees show structure rather than market averages: Ajman University lists BSc Management at 120 credits at AED 1,531 and the MBA at 30 credits at AED 2,420 for 2026-27, and may raise fees by up to 10% a year; AURAK lists its MBA at 30 credits at AED 2,520, AED 75,600 in tuition alone. The one enforcement case in the group is MoHESR's December 2025 withdrawal of recognition from all Midocean University qualifications, after its Fujairah executive office ran registration and programmes without accreditation (Gulf News).

ONS reading Do not apply a single travel radius, tuition assumption or conversion rate to all four emirates. Record the learner's location, the teaching location and the delivery mode independently so an enquiry from another emirate can be assessed accurately. Start with a programme that has confirmed delivery capacity; if demand is thin, a regional live online cohort or employer group may be more viable than several small classroom batches. Report aggregate cost and outcome for the group with a drill-down by emirate, because a combined result can hide a profitable Ajman campaign and an unviable test elsewhere. Do not infer that smaller markets have cheaper clicks. Al Ain and Al Dhafra stay inside Abu Dhabi, and Khorfakkan, Kalba and Al Dhaid stay inside Sharjah.

Acquisition hypotheses by emirate

The table brings together the ONS draft's suggested audiences and local markets to test in each emirate. They are planning hypotheses, not findings, and contain no market figures.

The 2026 disruption and the growth series

The regional conflict interrupted the period in which the 2026-27 intake was recruited (Annahar English; The PIE News). MoE and MoHESR moved studies to distance learning from 2 March 2026 after Iranian drone and missile attacks; the shift was extended to 17 April, and more than one million students returned when schools reopened on 20 April (Gulf News; Times Higher Education). Nurseries and higher education institutions also returned on 20 April, told to stay ready to switch back (The National, 2026). More than 200 Dubai early childhood centres resumed onsite from 16 April, and KHDA announced a gradual return to in-person teaching at Dubai private institutions in early June (AACRAO Edge, 2026). MoHESR moved all universities to remote learning again from 5 to 8 May 2026 after four cruise missiles were launched from Iran, exempting clinical, lab and practical programmes and in-person exams (Gulf News).

Platform data show the demand effect. Studyportals recorded GCC study demand down 43% from its late December 2025 peak and down about 30% since early February 2026 (The PIE News). Times Higher Education reported in April 2026 that no measurable change in UAE application patterns was visible yet. Even so, Dubai's August 2026 release still reported 29% higher education growth over three years and two new institutions for 2026-27 (Dubai Media Office, 2023; Dubai Media Office). Chapter 03 covers how applicants responded.

For marketersAny 2026-27 enrolment figure published in 2027 will include the conflict period. Compare it with 2024-25 only with that caveat, and report a provider's own year-on-year results the same way.

Gaps in the evidence

No public data. Higher education enrolment for Abu Dhabi (ADEK or SCAD), Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain; a UAE-wide 2025-26 international student count; a KHDA 2025-26 higher education total (42,026 is 2024-25). The FCSC dataset of institutions by emirate was last updated in 2022 and showed no values. Future editions should request MoHESR emirate-level tables and the KHDA 2025-26 landscape.

No public data. Counts of licensed training centres from ACTVET (Abu Dhabi), SPEA (Sharjah) and the northern emirates; any count of certification, IT, healthcare, language or corporate providers by segment; the number of Private Teacher Work Permits issued. Future editions should file data requests with ACTVET, SPEA and MoHRE and repeat the KHDA directory count on a fixed date with branch deduplication.

No public data. Official nursery fee ranges from KHDA or ADEK; nursery counts and fees in the northern emirates from MoE; numeric targets for the Abu Dhabi Education Strategy 2030; any UAE market size from Colliers, Knight Frank or HolonIQ. Future editions should check ADEK and MoE open data and the Abu Dhabi strategy documents.

No public data. Published changes in international student flows or cancellations caused by the 2026 conflict. Coverage is limited to remote learning orders and platform demand signals.