1. Internationalization of Higher Education in the GCC Region: Enhancing Inflow of International Students to Oman
Bashir Fida, Raihan Taqui Syed, Joseph Mani
Modern College of Business & Science (MCBS), Muscat, Oman
(affiliated to University of Missouri-St Louis, USA)

2. Introduction
Higher education in the GCC region in general and Oman in particular has shown tremendous growth in internationalization since 1990s
Outflow of students going to other countries (outbound ratio) is increasing with a fast pace
However, inflow of international students (inbound ratio) to Oman is not noteworthy

3. Aim
This paper overviews the globalization of higher education in terms of inbound and outbound ratios in the GCC region
Also, steps for enhancing the inflow of international students to Oman are suggested

4. Literature Review
Internationalization of higher education is widely considered as one of the important factor that affects the existing body of knowledge of a country (UNESCO 2009).
Ali (2011) overviewed the impact of internationalization of education on Chinese economy,
Julie (2015) examined the growth trajectory of higher education in the GCC with reference to the quality of education and aspect of internationalization

5. Internationalization of Higher Education

6. The rationale for internationalization of education is categorized into 4 aims:
Academic (new knowledge,, intellectual interaction)
Socio-cultural development (equality, justice, inter- cultural understanding)
Political (peace and security, global positioning, workforce development)
Economic (global competition, preparing students for employment in global context)

7. Outbound & Inbound Ratios
Outbound Ratio
Number of students from a country studying abroad
Total tertiary enrolment in that country
Inbound Ratio
Number of students from abroad studying in a country

8. Internationalization of Higher Education in GCC

9. Country
Inbound students
Inbound Ratio (%)
Outbound students
Outbound Ratio (%)
Bahrain
5,000
13.2
4,500
12.1
Kuwait
N/A
16,800
23.4
Oman
3,000
3.0
11,300
14.5
Qatar
10,000
39.9
24.1
Saudi Arabia
72,000
4.8
3,500
5.4
U.A.E
64,000
44.8
8,500
6.4
Table 1: Numerical representation of the inflow and outflow of students in the GCC during the academic year

10. Figure 1: Inbound students (in 000s) in the GCC countries during the academic year of 2015-16

11. Figure 2: Outbound ratio of students in the GCC during academic year 2015-16 (%)

12. Figure 3: Percentage of outbound Omani students to inbound international students during the academic year

13. Figure 4: Percentage of expatriate students pursuing higher degree program in Oman during the academic year

14. Why foreign students should study in Oman?
Oman is a multi-cultural society which welcomes various nationalities to work and reside peacefully
Oman enjoys political stability since 1970s
Oman ranked 2nd in happiness index in GCC for 2016
Oman ranked 64th in the Global Competitiveness Index in 2016
Oman ranked at 74 in global peace index

15. Why foreign students should study in Oman?
Oman is a multi-cultural society which welcomes various nationalities to work and reside peacefully
Oman enjoys political stability since 1970s
Oman ranked 2nd in happiness index in GCC for 2016
Oman ranked 64th in the Global Competitiveness Index in 2016
Oman ranked at 74 in global peace index

16. Steps to Enhance Inflow of International Students
Oman should tie up with top universities of the world and facilitate the establishment of their campuses here
Oman should brand itself to the international community as an educational hub with world-class facilities
Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE), Oman should standardize the processes of recognizing and encourage blended learning degree programs

17. Steps to Enhance Inflow of International Students
Oman should have a dedicated group appointed by the MOHE to ease the flow of inbound students into the country
It should facilitate intellectually stimulating environment to international students while they are pursuing the degree programs.

18. Conclusion & Future Scope
This work was an attempt to review internationalization of higher education in Oman with respect to Inbound & outbound student ratios
In depth studies could be carried out to analyze and evaluate:
Factors influencing the international students on a micro level
Impact of Internationalization of higher education on the GDP of Oman on a macro level

19. References UNSECO (2006), Global Education Digest, UNESCO
UNSECO (2012), Global Education Digest, UNESCO Institute for Statistics
UNESCO (2016). Global Education Monitoring Report. Paris: UNESCO Publishing
Julie. (2015). Internationalization and the Changing Paradigm of Higher Education in the GCC Countries. SAGE Open , 1-10
Ali, T. A. (2011). Impact of Internationalization of Education on China's Economy. Aukland Institute of Studies WP
Belarbi. (2016). Transnational education in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: the challenges of internationalization and quality in higher education. International Journal of Economics and Business Research

20. References
Abri, K. A. (2016). Internationalization Of Higher Education In Oman: Practices Of Affiliation And Accreditation. ECER 2016, Leading Education: The Distinct Contributions of Educational Research and Researchers. Muscat.
NCSI. (2015). Higher Education Statistics. Muscat: NCSI
Education, M. o. (2016). Higher Education Admission Statistics for year Muscat: MOHE.
Global happiness Report. (2016). Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Forum, W. E. (2016). Global Competitiveness Report
Global Peace Index (2016). Institute for Economics and Peace

21. THANK YOU 