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A recent report from Studyportals–British Council has identified the MENA region as one of the most dynamic and evolving players in global education. While outbound student interest remains high, there is a clear increase in students exploring options within the region.

The report measures “demand” using student search and engagement activity on the Studyportals platform. For three consecutive years, engagement with MENA programs has grown, suggesting a significant regional shift in behaviour as global pressures influence where and how students choose to study; mirroring a wider international trend in which affordability concerns, fluctuating visa policies, and capacity constraints in traditional Western destinations are encouraging students to consider alternatives closer to home.

A strong alignment between program choices and regional economic priorities accompanies this emerging pattern. Students continue to gravitate towards fields closely linked to local labour market demand, and most notably in computer science and general business and management. These preferences reflect the ongoing digital and economic transformation shaping many of the MENA economies, further reinforcing the region’s appeal as a competitive study environment.

Among the region’s emerging study destinations, the United Arab Emirates stands out as the clear leader. Its ecosystem of international branch campuses, English language use, and diverse academic offerings draws significantly higher levels of engagement than elsewhere in MENA.

“In Dubai, we’ve had a very planned approach to building the higher education sector; this started over 20 years ago. We were the first to create economic trade zones for education, Dubai Knowledge Park, and Dubai National Academy City. We worked over the years to create a very stable, regulatory environment, to attract international campuses,” said Nitesh Sughnani, director of university ratings at the KHDA, during a panel discussion hosted by Studyportals.

In Dubai, we’ve had a very planned approach to building the higher education sector; this started over 20 years ago
_{Nitesh Sughnani, KHDA}

Saudi Arabia is not far behind. Driven by major national investment in higher education infrastructure, scholarship programs, digital innovation, and skills development, Saudi is increasingly gaining attention from both regional and international students. The expansion of flexible, blended and online learning options has also helped position the county as a strong destination, aiming to enhance accessibility and appeal to students who hold financial or mobility concerns.

Other MENA countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar) are also showing a steady increase in visibility, indicating a broader strengthening of the region’s overall higher education landscape.

While much of this growth reflects rising interest in studying within the MENA region, the report also highlights how outbound student mobility from the region is evolving. For the purposes of the report, MENA follows Studyportals’ regional classification, which includes Turkey.

When it comes to outbound demand, at the bachelor’s level, Turkey emerges as the leading origin market, accounting for 20.6% of total outbound demand from the MENA region and recording a 2.7% year-on-year increase (July 2023 – June 2024). Iran, while still a major source market with a 13.2% share, experienced the most notable decline, with demand falling by 4.1%. This downturn may be linked to the easing of the religious and political tensions that were marked, driving outward mobility among Iranian students.

Other significant undergraduate source countries within the region include the UAE (12.0%), Morocco (10.6%), and Egypt (8.1%), all of which display relative stability or moderate growth.

Notably, Egypt recorded a 2% increase, suggesting a rising interest among Egyptian students in pursuing education abroad amid domestic pressures and an increasingly saturated higher education landscape.

At the master’s level, demand is more concentrated with Iran and Turkey remaining dominant source markets and together accounting for over 56% of regional demand.

Their trajectories diverge markedly as Turkey records a strong 5.1% year-on-year increase in demand to study abroad, while Iran experienced a sharp decline, reinforcing the downward trend observed at the bachelor’s level. Additionally, Egypt continues to play a significant role, holding an 8.0% share and posting a 2.9% increase, driven by a growing youth population and limited domestic postgraduate capacity.

The UAE (5.9%), Morocco (5.6%), and Tunisia (4.6%) also feature as secondary source markets, although with relatively modest changes in demand.

Although the report confirms that outbound demand from MENA remains steady and resilient, what is particularly notable, however, is the growing interest among students studying within the region itself.

One of the most strategic drivers behind the region’s rising appeal is the high concentration of transnational education (TNE) institutions operating across the region. Although Asia still dominates the global TNE market, the MENA region stands out for the density of foreign branch campuses relative to its population. This density is emerging as a significant competitive advantage.

TNE provision in the region is playing more than a supplementary role, actively shaping the region’s international attractiveness by providing students with access to globally recognised qualifications that facilitate relocation abroad.

The demand patterns highlighted in the report reveal a close alignment between what students are exploring academically and the skills MENA economies are prioritising. Computer science remains the top area of interest across the region, supported by national digital transformation plans and the strong push for AI, cybersecurity, and tech innovation.

Programs like engineering and technology, along with business and management, continue to attract substantial engagement as well, reflecting the region’s focus on entrepreneurship, economic diversification, and private sector expansion. Together, these fields demonstrate that students are responding directly to the employment landscape shaped by national reform agendas.

The report situates MENA within a shifting global landscape in which traditional destination countries face significant pressure. Rising tuition fees, more complex visa regimes, and increased capacity limitations in Western universities have made studying abroad more challenging for many students. As a result, the trend toward regionalisation, students choosing to remain closer to home, is accelerating.

“Moving away from the big four, big six, traditional markets, and all of the visa and immigration challenges that are happening has really driven that demand; but also it is the connections that some of these governments have to the employments to building those provisions and knowledge hubs for students that then leads onto building the economy, contributing to the GDP and to really the kind of regional pull and dominance that some of those STEM fields, in particular, have” said Megan Agnew, global partnerships manager at British Council.

This shift plays directly into MENA’s strengths. With the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading the charge and several neighboring countries building visibility, the region is increasingly able to absorb mobility that is being redirected away from saturated global markets.

“We launched an education strategy last year, the Dubai 2033 agenda. This economic and social aspect aims to double Dubai’s GDP over the next ten years, and to be one of the top three cities in the world in various sectors,” explained Sughnani.

“We are moving away from the institution regulations to what the student is focusing on and how we bring that to the centre of this journey,” he added.

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