MBA in Dubai and Master's Degrees at UK and Australian Campuses
Fees, entry requirements, intakes and visa costs for master's and MBA programs at five Dubai branch campuses, based on current price lists.
An MBA in Dubai at a UK or Australian branch campus costs about 85,000–118,000 AED in tuition at current prices. Most master's degrees fall between roughly 76,000 and 175,000 AED, depending on the university and the subject. You study in Dubai, and the degree is awarded by the parent university in the UK or Australia.
Dubai is a large market for this. 42,026 students studied at 41 private universities overseen by the Dubai regulator KHDA. Thirty-seven of those universities are branches of foreign universities, and 35% of students came from abroad.
Below we compare five campuses: Middlesex, University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), Heriot-Watt, Birmingham and Curtin, including the risks worth knowing before you pay a deposit.
For the full country overview, see our Study in UAE guide.
Five campuses for a master's or MBA
All five hold a KHDA licence and federal accreditation from the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA), which sits under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR). Rankings below belong to the parent university, not to the Dubai campus.
| Campus | Parent university | Location | UAE status | THE ranking (parent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Middlesex University London, UK | Dubai Knowledge Park | CAA institutional licence (January 2025); all current programs CAA-accredited; KHDA | 501–600 | |
University of Wollongong, Australia | Dubai Knowledge Park | CAA-accredited degrees; KHDA; AACSB for UOW business programs | 201–250 | |
Heriot-Watt University, Scotland | Dubai Knowledge Park | 71 bachelor's and master's programs CAA-accredited (February 2025); KHDA | 401–500 | |
University of Birmingham, UK | Dubai International Academic City | MoHESR licence; 36 master's programs CAA-accredited, including the MBA; KHDA | =98 | |
Curtin University, Australia | Dubai International Academic City | CAA institutional accreditation (9 January 2025); 5 master's programs accredited; KHDA | 251–300 |
MBA in Dubai and master's fees: current price lists
Prices below come from each university's official pages. Most price lists for the next academic year are not published yet. Heriot-Watt is the exception: its figure already covers the upcoming January and September intakes.
| Campus | Program | Tuition (AED) | Price list |
|---|---|---|---|
Middlesex | MBA | 84,872 | Current price list |
Middlesex | Executive MBA | 117,548 | Current price list |
Middlesex | MSc / LLM | 76,491–94,101 / 76,491–98,345 | Current price list |
UOWD | MBA (12 subjects × 9,597.26) | about 115,000 | Autumn intake |
UOWD | Other master's (10–12 subjects × 9,415.35) | about 94,000–113,000 | Autumn intake |
Heriot-Watt | MSc International Business Management with Marketing, full-time | 99,528 for the program | January and September |
Birmingham | MSc International Business | 166,356 full-time (1 year); 83,178 per year part-time | September / January |
Birmingham | MSc Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning | 174,509 full-time; 87,255 per year part-time | September / January |
Curtin | MBA (16 months) | 115,500 | Current fee policy |
Curtin | Master of AI or Cyber Security (12 months) | 84,000 | Current fee policy |
Curtin | Master of Engineering Management (16 months) | 91,350 | Current fee policy |
UOWD charges per subject, paid each trimester, so the program total depends on your study load. Curtin fixes tuition for the length of your studies unless you repeat units.
Scholarships at these campuses are tuition discounts, not cash payments. Middlesex offers international master's applicants an International Study Grant, with the amount set per program. Its 10–20% Postgraduate Study Grant is for applicants from the UAE. Birmingham lists a Postgraduate Chancellor's scholarship of up to 30%. Curtin has a Professional Excellence scholarship and an Alumni Grant for master's students, but it does not publish percentages, and different awards cannot be combined.
One-off fees on top of tuition
- Heriot-Watt: 300 AED application fee (non-refundable). On acceptance, 10% of first-year tuition plus a 1,000 AED refundable security deposit.
- Curtin: 367 AED application fee, 3,500 AED registration fee on accepting the offer (both non-refundable), and a 500 AED service fee each study period.
- Birmingham: no application fee. A 5,000 AED non-refundable deposit on accepting the offer, counted toward tuition.
- Middlesex: a 3,000 AED deposit on accepting the offer.
Master's and MBA fees at Dubai campuses
AED for the whole program, current price lists
- Middlesex: Executive MBA117,548 AED
- Curtin: MBA (16 months)115,500 AED
- Heriot-Watt: MSc IBM with Marketing99,528 AED
- Curtin: Engineering Management (16 months)91,350 AED
- Middlesex: MBA84,872 AED
- Curtin: Master of AI or Cyber Security84,000 AED
- Middlesex: MSc76,491–94,101 AED
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Entry requirements for masters in Dubai
You need a completed bachelor's degree. The required grade depends on the program. For example, Birmingham's MSc in AI and Machine Learning asks for a 2:1 Honours degree in a numerate subject.
English scores also vary by campus and program:
- Middlesex master's programs: IELTS Academic 6.5 (no band below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 87 or PTE Academic 58.
- Birmingham: IELTS 6.0 or 6.5, depending on the program's language group.
- Other campuses publish their requirements on each program page. We check them against your scores before you apply.
MBA and Executive MBA programs may also look at your work experience. The rules differ between programs, so we compare them for your profile during the consultation.
Your bachelor's diploma and transcript must be legalized for the UAE, and the UAE does not accept the apostille. India and Pakistan are members of the Apostille Convention, and Egypt and Nigeria are not, but all four still go through consular legalization. The usual chain has four steps: your university or education authority and a notary, your foreign ministry, the UAE embassy, then the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry MoHESR then issues an equivalency for your foreign degree.
Full-time, part-time and intakes
Full-time study is the standard route for international students. Curtin and Birmingham, for example, sponsor student visas only for full-time programs. Birmingham's master's programs take 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time. Curtin's master's programs take 12 or 16 months.
Part-time programs and the Executive MBA suit people who already live in the UAE on another residence visa. This includes many expat families in the GCC. Parents who are UAE residents can sponsor sons under 25 and unmarried daughters of any age.
| Campus | Master's and MBA intakes |
|---|---|
Middlesex | September and January (there was also an April intake in 2026) |
UOWD | Trimesters start in September, January and April |
Heriot-Watt | September, January and May |
Birmingham | September |
Curtin | February and September |
Heriot-Watt has already published the dates for its January intake: classes run from 18 January to 10 April. Other universities usually publish exact dates closer to each intake.
Find your programme in 2 minutes
How to apply: step by step
Shortlist programs and check that both the university and the specific program are accredited by MoHESR/CAA.
Take IELTS, TOEFL or PTE and collect your degree certificate, transcript and passport.
Apply online. Middlesex, for example, usually issues an offer letter within two working days of receiving a complete application.
Accept the offer and pay the deposit or first installment the university asks for.
Pay the tuition share required for the visa: 25% of annual tuition at Middlesex and Heriot-Watt, or the full first study period at Curtin.
The university applies for your entry permit. Submit visa documents at least 8 weeks before classes start.
Arrive in Dubai, complete the medical test and apply for your Emirates ID.
Finish legalization and degree equivalency during your first semester. Heriot-Watt gives one semester and can withdraw students who do not obtain it.
Student visa and work during your studies
The university sponsors your student residence visa. It is issued for one year and renewed each year. Entering on an entry permit arranged by the university is the most reliable route. Changing status from inside the UAE costs more.
University visa packages differ widely. Heriot-Watt charges 3,315 AED from abroad plus a 3,000 AED refundable deposit. Middlesex charges 5,555.22 AED plus a 2,500 AED deposit. Birmingham (7,068.10 AED), UOWD (8,237 AED) and Curtin (8,820 AED) include a refundable deposit in the total. Visa documents, timing and costs by nationality are covered on our UAE student visa page.
A student visa is not a work permit. To hire or train a student, an employer applies to the labor ministry MOHRE for a Student Training and Employment Permit, which is valid for 3 months. A separate Part-time Work Permit also exists. Curtin states that students on its visa cannot work outside these permitted schemes. Plan your budget without counting on part-time income.
After graduation: jobs and residence options
The UAE has no separate post-study work visa like the UK Graduate Route. Graduates usually move to an employer's work visa. Two other options exist.
- Job Exploration visa: for graduates of universities in the ministry's top-500 list, with at least a bachelor's degree and a qualification at MOHRE skill level 1–3. Fees are 200, 300 or 400 AED for 60, 90 or 120 days, plus 5% VAT and a 1,000 AED deposit.
- Golden Visa: a 10-year residence visa for graduates of UAE universities with a CGPA of at least 3.5 (class A universities) or 3.8 (class B), who graduated within the last two years and have their degree attested by MoHESR.
Because these campuses hold a federal licence, graduates can have their degree attested by MoHESR. After your student visa is cancelled, the Dubai immigration authority allows a 60-day grace period to change status or leave.
What to know before you apply
A KHDA licence is not the same as federal accreditation
KHDA licenses universities in Dubai's free zones. MoHESR and CAA accreditation works at federal level, first for the institution and then for each program. If you plan to work in the UAE public sector or a regulated profession, check that your specific program is CAA-accredited. The gap has narrowed: in February 2025 the ministry reportedly licensed 16 Dubai universities, including Middlesex and Curtin. Whether your home country recognizes the degree depends on its own rules, so check with the relevant authority before you enroll.
The real cost is tuition plus about 12 months of living
Without tuition, a student in Dubai needs roughly 5,500–9,000 AED a month. A room in a partner residence costs 2,200–7,450 AED a month. As a rough example, a one-year MBA at about 85,000 AED plus a year of living costs comes to around 151,000–193,000 AED, before visa fees and deposits. The 50% student discount on Dubai public transport applies only to students aged 23 and under, which excludes many master's students. See our cost of studying in Dubai guide for the full breakdown.
Work cannot fund your studies
Student work needs an employer-sponsored permit. Plan to cover tuition and living costs from savings, family support or a sponsor.
The regional situation changed during 2026
In spring 2026, UAE universities briefly moved to online classes several times. The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) does not advise against travel to the UAE, but warns of regional risks and possible flight disruption. Check your own government's travel advice before you travel.
Read deposit and scholarship terms before paying
Deposits differ in size and refund rules, and scholarship terms are often set for one intake only. We review the offer terms with you before you pay anything.
Motivation letter: template and a paragraph-by-paragraph guide
A ready skeleton in English with a note on what each paragraph has to do, plus the mistakes that make a letter useless.
- Where a letter is really required and where it is not
- A five-paragraph template with example wording
- How to strengthen it with specifics and numbers
- Seven mistakes and a checklist before you send
Other study destinations
The same budget buys a different outcome elsewhere — see the other destinations.
Polandfrom €1,500 a year at private universities; medicine from €12,000
Turkeyfrom $500 a year at public, from $4,000 at private universities
Malaysiaabout RM 35,000–45,000 a year at private universities
Italyfrom €160 a year at public universities (income-based, ISEE)
Spainabout €1,200–8,200 a year at public universities; private cost more
Hungaryabout €6,000–10,000 a year in English
GeorgiaMD in English: $5,900–6,500 at private, $8,000 at public universities
North Cyprus$4,450–6,400 a year at EMU (public); €2,800–4,500 at private universities after the standard discount
Cyprusabout €9,000–11,820 a year at private universities; medicine €23,000–24,000Send us your bachelor's transcript, English score and budget. In a free first consultation we will shortlist master's or MBA programs across these five campuses, check the accreditation of each program, and map out your legalization and visa timeline for your start date. Write to us via the form on our contacts page, on WhatsApp or on Telegram.