Sustaining enrolment growth: Understanding the demand for higher education programmes

University of Birmingham Dubai (“UOBD”) was initially established in 2017 within the headquarters of the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) since 2022 the university has occupied a purpose-built campus within the wider grounds of DIAC. As part of its future growth plans the university needed to understand the current higher education landscape in Dubai with a deeper understanding on current student preferences.

With its eye on a holistic and advanced education sector, the UAE government has significantly invested in developing a robust education system. As one of its prestigious universities, the University of Birmingham Dubai wanted to gain an external perspective on the competitive positioning of the University’s campus overall, and its portfolio of programmes, within the Dubai, UAE and broader context. Along with this the university wanted to gain a deeper understanding of buyer behavior and the relative importance of factors influencing decision-making (including but not limited to fee-levels and scholarships, rankings and reputation, entry requirement, graduate outcomes and employability).

The grmc Solution

Combining research methodologies, grmc conducted interviews with prospective students and those who have accepted and declined programmes at the university to deep dive into motives, desires and preferences.

Along with this the research also delivered population, income segmentations and other relevant demographic parameters. This along with intelligence on the education market in the UAE and National strategies provided contextual understanding and guidance on future opportunities and focus areas for the University of Birmingham, Dubai.

Results Achieved

Based on student demand, competitive analysis and evaluation of multiple metrics including tuition fee analysis, scholarship and employability opportunities, grmc provided recommendations in terms of priority focus areas the university can address to boost student enrolment and address regional competition.

Furthermore, grmc devised critical success factors that were tailored in discussion with the client such that these were in alignment with the university’s overarching objectives.

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Sustaining enrolment growth: Understanding the demand for higher education programmes

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