An independent student housing complex, which will potentially offer students part-time jobs to help them pay for rent, will be launched in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC) by early 2020.

Myriad has partnered with several retail outlets to support the students with different services. Details on the rent of each apartment will be revealed next week.

"We offer gender segregated accommodation to students in the Middle East that is like no other and pride ourselves with providing safety, security, cleanliness and world-class management to achieve a convenient purpose-built environment.

"We also provide students the opportunity to partake in part-time jobs, if required, to support with rental fees," Myriad's website said.

Currently, more than 24,000 students study in colleges and universities located in the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), though, there are no independent housing units available to students within the area.

In Dubailand, however, student housing called Uninest is available to students. It has a total of 424 beds, utility bills are included and there are free shuttle buses to universities, beaches and malls. The rents are paid monthly and start from Dh2,650 and are up to Dh4,800.

Khaleej Times has reported previously on the rents of student acco-mmodations owned by private universities. RIT Dubai offers 210 beds in single, shared or studios for prices ranging from Dh24,000 to Dh45,000 yearly.

Dubai students have welcomed the move by Myriad, which is looking into potentially offering students part-time job opportunities to support them with rent payment. 

"Providing international stude-nts with affordable student accommodation is thoroughly required since it is difficult for new students in the country to find their way around. Helping the students to find a job is an extra bonus since this makes it easier for them to earn money and start becoming independent," Jamila Quresh Aden, a student in Dubai, said.

Amreen Galib Damji, a first-year university student, feels that independent housing is better than rooms provided by universities.

"Having student housing facilities is essential. This is because it provides the students with a place to call home, away from home. Staying at a university hostel is not the same since it doesn't give the student a chance to experience the feel of living in the real world, since many of the services are provided and we are given restrictions and rules which aren't usually given when you grow up and begin living alone," she said.

"Giving students affordable housing facilities and providing them a helping hand to find part-time jobs - which helps them to earn some sort of income (pocket money) - is essential in case of international students. They have very little expertise when it come to finding jobs overseas."

Aisha Isa-zailani, another student studying at a university in the DIAC, said: "I think the introduction of a student accommodation is a good idea. This is because most of the time people come from different countries to study here and they get no idea where to start their search for home from. I believe that having the student housing there will make it easier for students, especially international students."

The Myriad student housing will be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in Khaleej Times on Wednesday April 18th, 2018 http://bit.ly/KT_Student_Housing