Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has emerged in the previous two decades as one of the leading countries for investment in transnational education. However, although one-third of the transnational programs and universities in the world are operating in the UAE, there is very little research investigating the issues surrounding transnational education. Aiming to address this gap in the literature, this study seeks to understand the economic and academic motivations behind the exponential growth of transnational institutions in the UAE, and pinpoint the limitations and challenges facing them. Data was collected from secondary resources––scholarly journals, policy reports, local newspaper articles, branch campus websites, and programs––and educational reports released by the two educational free zones––Dubai Development and Knowledge Authority (KHDA) and Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEK). The findings of the study indicate that much of the motivation for transnational education in the UAE is economic. More specifically, it was reported that the establishment of international branch campuses (IBCs) was perceived as one of the viable solutions to diversify the economic revenues of the country. Further, it was found that IBCs have created opportunities for research and academic cooperation with international universities. Potential challenges and limitations pertaining to IBCs are also presented and discussed.