Construction work on a AED 56mn ($15.25mn) student accommodation complex in Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) has been completed.
Comprising four buildings with fully furnished units of varying sizes, the 10,000 square metre complex can accommodate up to 432 students.
The faculty will welcome students from the DSO-based Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT-Dubai), as well as the neighbouring Dubai International Academic City. The entire facility will offer free Wi-Fi access, through a campus-wide secure wireless network by Avaya.
The complex was built to meet rising demand for student accommodation in the emirate. The shortage of supply has made it harder to attract international students and their families.
Dubai has 57 academic institutions offering programs in higher education. Of these, 26 are international universities, with total numbers exceeding 50,000 students.
Although tuition fees for universities and colleges in the UAE are lower than those in similar institutions abroad, the high cost of housing is an important concern for parents and has adversely impacted the admission of such students to Dubai’s colleges.