UK Universities in Dubai: Fees Compared, 2026-27

Four UK universities run branch campuses in Dubai: Heriot-Watt, Middlesex, De Montfort and the University of Birmingham. Their published fees are not close. Among the bachelor's courses we checked, a year costs from AED 63,614 (De Montfort's business degrees) to AED 82,264 (Heriot-Watt's BSc Computer Science). Master's fees run from AED 76,491 (Middlesex) to AED 174,509 (Birmingham's MSc Computer Science, full-time).

These are the courses we checked, not every programme, and fees change by subject, year and intake. Use each campus's own course page for your exact figure, and ask which institution awards your degree.

The answer depends on the metric. By student numbers, Middlesex University Dubai is the largest: Middlesex's own news release says the KHDA Open Data Report 2024/25 named it Dubai's largest UK university for the fifth year running, with more than 6,450 students.

By reported building size, the University of Birmingham Dubai appears biggest, but the figure needs care. The National reported in 2019 a 50,000 square metre expansion project at the campus. Birmingham's own page says it moved into a new purpose-built campus in 2022, home for up to 3,000 students, and gives no size. For comparison, Heriot-Watt's main campus is 218,000 square feet (about 22,000 square metres) per its architects BDP, plus the 50,000 square foot James Watt Building that opened on 2 September 2025 per Heriot-Watt. De Montfort's new campus is 85,000 square feet, designed for 3,000 students, per DMU. We found no campus size published for Middlesex, so it cannot be compared on area.

So on the reported figures Birmingham has the biggest campus by building size, but that comes from a 2019 press report of a project, not from Birmingham itself. Treat it as reported, not confirmed. Middlesex is the largest by enrolment.

Heriot-Watt says it established its UAE presence in 2005, and marked 20 years there in 2025. Its BSc (Hons) Computer Science is listed at AED 82,264, stated for both the January 2027 and September 2027 intakes and inclusive of VAT. Its MBA with a Specialism in Professional Practice is AED 132,000, available full-time (one year) or part-time (two years). The page lists January 2027 as the next intake and says January is part-time only.

Heriot-Watt sets fees per programme and says they are subject to revision each year, so treat these as two examples, not a price list.

Middlesex Dubai's fee page covers bachelor's, foundation, MBA, Executive MBA and master's programmes in one place, and marks them as 2026/27, inclusive of VAT. A standard three-year bachelor's is AED 64,557 a year (AED 193,671 for the degree) and its International Foundation Programme is AED 50,301. Master's programmes start at AED 76,491, MSc programmes go up to AED 94,101, the MBA is AED 84,872 and the Executive MBA is AED 117,548. Middlesex notes that fees can change with the exchange rate at the time of payment.

DMU Dubai publishes a subject-by-subject fee table, but its page labels the figures as 2025-26 pricing, so check for a 2026-27 update before budgeting. On that table, business and social science degrees (accounting and finance, business management, advertising and marketing communications, economics) are AED 63,614 a year. Computer science, cyber security, software engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, interior design, psychology, law and finance and investment are AED 75,191, and architecture is AED 77,338. Most master's programmes are AED 93,713 a year (one year full-time or two years part-time), the Global MBA is AED 104,186, and the International Year Zero foundation year is AED 46,305.

Birmingham says it has been in Dubai since 2018 and moved into a purpose-built campus in 2022. Its MSc Computer Science is AED 174,509 full-time or AED 87,255 part-time for the 2026/27 intake, well above the master's fees we checked at the other three campuses. Birmingham does not publish one fee table; each course page carries its own fee, so this figure is for MSc Computer Science only.

Birmingham charges a non-returnable AED 5,000 tuition deposit when you accept an offer, deducted from your tuition fees, and says it offers scholarships of up to 30% of tuition. That can change the comparison against the other campuses' lower headline fees.

Tuition is not the whole cost. Students also need a UAE residence visa. The fee figures we found came from consultancy sites rather than a UAE government fee schedule, so we have not printed them here. Ask each campus's admissions office for its all-in visa cost in writing, and ask whether the medical test, Emirates ID and health insurance are included, before you compare campuses on price.

Each campus publishes its own fees in its own way. Middlesex and DMU each show many programmes on one page. Heriot-Watt and Birmingham list fees on individual course pages. The pages also cover different years, so a bachelor's from one campus set against a master's from another is not like-for-like. Compare the same subject and level, for the same year and intake.

Among the bachelor's courses we checked, De Montfort's business degrees (AED 63,614, at 2025-26 rates) and Middlesex's standard bachelor's (AED 64,557, for 2026/27) are the lowest and about AED 900 apart. Heriot-Watt's BSc Computer Science, at AED 82,264, was the highest. At master's level, Middlesex starts lowest (AED 76,491), De Montfort is AED 93,713, Heriot-Watt's MBA is AED 132,000 and Birmingham's MSc Computer Science is AED 174,509 full-time. Middlesex is the largest by enrolment, and Birmingham has the biggest campus by reported building size. Fees vary by course, so compare the specific course you want.