IIM Ahmedabad is the first IIM to open a campus outside of India, with its new location in Dubai officially launched on September 11, 2025.
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At IIM-A's 60th graduation ceremony, the director, Professor Bharat Bhasker, announced that the school is expanding its reach beyond India. This is a big step for the institution as it pursues a global growth plan, and it shows that IIM-A is still dedicated to its mission of providing "transformative learning."
The new campus in Dubai, located in the Dubai International Academic City. It offers a one-year MBA for working professionals and business owners, as well as shorter courses for executives. The programs will focus on artificial intelligence, innovation, and business practices in the Middle East and North Africa.
An agreement signed with authorities in the UAE in April 2025 made this international expansion official. Their plan was to develop the new campus in two stages: first, they'll open in a temporary location, and by 2029, they'll move into a new, permanent building designed specifically for the school.
IIM-A is the first premier management school from India to open a campus abroad, but it's not the first top Indian institute to do so.
Some of the IITs have already started this trend:
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IIT Madras opened a campus in Zanzibar in 2023.
IIT Delhi opened a campus in Abu Dhabi in 2024.
IIT Bombay is also going international, partnering with Japan's Tohoku University to offer joint research programs, starting with a PhD program.