After drawing around 1,100 students on its opening day, KT UniExpo is gearing up for another busy day on Wednesday, with around 1,500 students expected to walk through its doors.
For students arriving tomorrow, the event will offer more than a chance to collect university brochures. Across the exhibition floor, they can expect conversations around courses, careers, employability, student life, admissions and the different pathways available to them in the UAE and overseas.
That shift is already evident in the conversations taking place at the expo. Universities are increasingly finding that students and parents want to know not just what degree they can study, but where it can take them. Some university representative said their institutions had also seen a strong intake this year and highlighted how varsities have had to rethink the way they communicate with prospective students.
A spokesperson from Emirates Aviation University said, “Admissions for Fall 2026 at EAU have been busier than ever before, with our wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes attracting students from around the world. Our specialised programmes in Engineering, Management, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science are designed to empower tomorrow’s aviation leaders and put our students ahead of the game. This is further strengthened by our semester-long internship opportunities for undergraduate students, which provide valuable real-world experience and industry exposure.”
The focus, they said, has increasingly moved towards the ‘outcomes of education’ — from employability and return on investment to the wider student experience. That demand is also reflected in admissions numbers.
Abubakar Khan, member of the Admissions team at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai said “The student intake has increased by 25 per cent, which is an exponential growth to be honest. And I have to say it’s looking good.”
Medicine and engineering to criminology and aviation
For students themselves, the expo is becoming a place to test ideas, compare options and sometimes discover careers they had not previously considered.
Naasneen Fatima, a Grade 12 student at Gulf Model School Dubai, said she and her classmates were exploring a wide range of possibilities.
“Most of us are science students, so we’re mainly looking at medical and engineering courses. But some of us are also exploring fields very different fields such as fashion design. We want to use this event to understand our options and decide whether we would like to study in the UAE or abroad,” she said.
For Naasneen, that exploration has also led her towards less conventional career choices, including “medical-legal advising and criminology”. Another Grade 12 student, Nashwa Muhsin, is looking beyond the UAE, with universities in the UK and Scotland on her radar. “I am considering universities abroad in the UK in Scotland. I am interested in aviation, engineering and science related fields,” she said.
What students can explore tomorrow
With students from schools including Dubai Gem, JSS, GSS (Girls), The Indian Academy Dubai, American International School, German International School Dubai, The Bloomington Academy, Jumeira Baccalaureate School, Al Salam Community School and Indian International School, Sharjah attending, the second day is expected to bring another strong turnout.
Students and parents can use the event to compare UAE and overseas universities, courses and career pathways, while getting answers directly from institutions and admissions experts.
Source: Khaleej Times
