UAE's best universities: University of Wollongong in Dubai

'The National' guide to universities in the Emirates continues with this Australian institution established in 1993

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is the first international Australian university in the UAE. All photos: UOWD

The university offers internationally recognised degrees that are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA).

Bachelor’s degrees include: Business, Luxury Management, Computer Science, Engineering, Healthcare, Information Technology, Media & Design, among others.

The university currently hosts about 3,500 students.

The Media Lab at the university.

From where does it originate?

Australia

When was it founded?

1993

What is it?

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is the first international Australian university in the UAE and is part of a global brand that has campuses in Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

The university offers internationally recognised degrees that are accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE’s Ministry of Education, licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and quality assured by Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), the national regulator of the higher education sector in Australia.

Where is it based?

Dubai

How did it handle Covid-19?

The university reached out to students to ascertain their preferred timings and provided new online masterclasses, virtual tours and digital classroom environments.

Through this, UOWD catered to 60,000 students in the UAE who were looking for a quality, accredited education but were unable to travel or forced to stay home due to restrictions.

The health, well-being and safety of the students, staff and their families remained a priority for UOWD. The university was quick to transition to a distance learning system in adherence to the UAE government’s guidelines at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

What are the fees?

For Bachelor’s degrees:

The approximate cost per year is Dh57,000

For Master’s degrees

The approximate cost per year is Dh47,000

For graduate diploma degrees

The approximate cost for the full diploma is Dh37,000

What subjects does it teach?

Bachelor’s degrees include: Business, Luxury management, Computer Science, Engineering, Healthcare, Information Technology, Media & Design, among others

Master’s degrees include: Business, Education, Engineering, Healthcare, Information Technology, Media & Design, Political Science

Where is it ranked globally?

Parent university

193rd — QS World University Rankings

201—250th — Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022

Who goes there?

The university currently hosts approximately 3,500 students

Who has gone there?

UOWD alumni are currently pursuing their careers across several well-reputed conglomerates locally and internationally, which include Johnson Controls, Microsoft, Mashreq Bank, Namshi.com, Johnson & Johnson and PRIME Healthcare Group, among others.

Prof Mohamed Salem, UOWD President. Chris Whiteoak / The National

A word from Prof Mohamed Salem, UOWD's President:

“Through our range of programmes and the enhanced learning environment on campus, we believe that we can open doors for young talent of the UAE. For us, it is all about Creating a Future for our Students.”

“UOWD offers a comprehensive portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes across many disciplines. The trends in new offerings at UOWD are rapidly evolving in line with the emerging needs of students and employers. Our new flagships programmes have a great focus on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, business analytics, luxury management and modern design and communication.”

“UOWD puts innovation and knowledge sharing at the forefront of its curriculums, enabling students to effectively develop their skills in their chosen fields. We aim to provide our students with a strong foundation across disciplines to operate efficiently within an international environment.”