A new SKEMA campus in Dubai!

SKEMA Business School is continuing its international expansion with a new campus in the United Arab Emirates, opening in September 2024. Meanwhile, the school has decided not to go ahead with the acquisition of the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in the United States announced on 19 September 2023.

During the legal period granted to analyse the information provided by FIDM and decide whether to proceed with the transaction, SKEMA decided not to go ahead with the acquisition, as several material conditions had not been met. 

Unrelated to the possible acquisition of FIDM, SKEMA has been working on the opening, in September 2024, of a new campus in the largest city of the United Arab Emirates: Dubai.

A strategic, cosmopolitan location that shines between the West, the Arab world and Asia, Dubai has become a key global business hub. The Dubai government intends to surround itself with the best international establishments, including SKEMA, to support it with the training needs and transitions of the future: smart cities and digital transformation in particular.

At the heart of Dubai's financial hub

After China (Suzhou and Nanjing), the United States (Raleigh), Brazil (Belo Horizonte), South Africa (Stellenbosch), and Canada (Montreal), this new location strengthens SKEMA's global offering and its influence in a growing region. As a global city, Dubai promises a rich international and multicultural experience for students, whether they are French, international (more than 130 nationalities are represented on SKEMA campuses), or native to the countries in which the school is established. SKEMA will be developing its initial training and executive education activities from its location at the heart of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a leading international financial hub at the crossroads of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Open to students from the start of the 2024 academic year

From September 2024, SKEMA will be offering four programmes in Dubai: the Global BBA, the Grande Ecole Programme, the MSc in International Business and the MSc in Sustainable Finance and Fintech. Other Master's level programmes will rapidly be added to this portfolio.

Thanks to a strategic agreement with the DIFC Academy and the University Leadership Council, SKEMA is privileged to be able to establish itself in a dynamic, innovation-driven ecosystem: home to over 36,000 professionals in more than 4,300 companies, DIFC is the economic heart of Dubai. “In Dubai, we have found the spirit of innovation and excellence that guides the choice of each of our locations.

Our campus in Dubai will become the gathering point for students from all over the world, particularly the Middle East, Africa and the Indo-Pacific region. Eventually, this campus will be able to accommodate 2,000 students,” explained Alice Guilhon, Dean and Executive President of SKEMA Business School.