Dubai: The UAE outranks Singapore, Switzerland, China and South Korea as a preferred study destination, new research suggests.

In a survey of 2,700 students from 50 countries, researchers also found that the UAE is similar in popularity to Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland and New Zealand.

The findings were revealed on Wednesday in Dubai during the unveiling of the “Transnational Student Mobility and Future Employment Trends in 2017”.

The study cited work-study permits, quality of universities and safe environment of the UAE as major pull factors for international students.

The market research was conducted as partnership between Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) and BMI Media, a leading student recruitment event’s organiser.

The study aimed to determine the factors that motivate potential students worldwide: where they would like to study; the reasons why; perceived obstacles and more. The objective was to provide a better understanding of transnational student needs and future employment preferences across a wide selection of developing countries in the GCC, Asia and South America. Survey responses were collected and analysed from students aged 17 to 25.

A staggering 69 per cent of respondents stated they intend to stay in the country of study, at least for the medium term, presenting an opportunity for leading education hubs seeking to attract educated skilled workers and retain intellectual capital.

Mohammad Abdullah, managing director of DIAC, said: “Our study was designed out of necessity, due to the growth of the transnational student market worldwide, to encourage a deeper understanding of the shifting educational landscape and how to best harness the opportunities this brings for educational institutions and students alike.”

Samir Zaveri, president and CEO of BMI Media, said: “BMI Media established its regional headquarters in DIAC due to our common goal of attracting international students to Dubai. Through our partnership, it became clear that as leading educational event providers, we needed to develop a study which would answer all the questions a university would need to know about attracting transnational students.”