Dubai Schools Admission Process | Parent's Guide for Enrollment 

Having trouble getting admission for your ward in Dubai? 

Mostly it's seen that parents while relocating to Dubai on short notice due to job transfers or some personal reasons often stress about their child's future with various questions popping up in their mind about "How to apply for admissions?" “Where do we find the list of documents needed for registration?” and “What could be the Criteria of schools for accepting applications?”

Well, by the end of this article, you will be able to find the answers for all your doubts.

So we start with an Important note to all the parents!

Do you know that Private education in Dubai is regulated and governed by KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority)?

Yes, it's true! They have the authority to inspect all the private schools in Dubai, thereby assigning a rating to each school based on their performance, and are also responsible for the growth and quality of all these schools. 

Additionally, KHDA lays down certain steps and criteria that are required by all the Dubai schools to be commonly followed and implemented:

1. Starting of the Academic Year:

For Indian, Pakistani, and Japanese curriculum schools, the academic year is from April to March. For all other curricula, it begins in September and ends in June or July.

2. Age limit:

A. For the school that starts the academic year in April:

B. For the school that starts the academic year in September:

For all the other grades- Grade 2/year 3 and above, admissions are not subject to age criteria. 

3. Assessment/Interview:

Admissions in Gr 2/Year 3 and above classes are based upon the marks obtained in the previous year or terms in other schools. Therefore, schools require past report cards to check the eligibility for the admission of a particular child in their school. Most schools also conduct an assessment/ interview for selection purposes. Application is accepted if the minimum score is attained by the applicant child.

4. Documents: **

 The following documents are required to be submitted by the parents at the time of admission for the purpose of maintaining student data in school records and registration of child with the school in KHDA portal

• Emirates ID/Residence Visa and Passport copy of the Child.
• Emirates ID/Residence Visa and Passport copy of the Sponsor.
• Attested Transfer Certificate from the previous school. 

(Note: Attestation is not required if the child was studying previously within UAE school only.) 

• Previous year Report cards.
• Immunization or birth vaccination report.

**The non-submission of the EID or other mandatory documents as mentioned by the schools in a stipulated time frame, can lead to the cancellation of admissions. 

Registration and Confirmation:

Lastly, upon completion of all the above steps, 

The admissions department follows a small discussion with parents to provide the details about the school, fee structure, academics, etc. Parents can also request the admissions department to arrange a school tour during the admission process. Keeping all the factors in mind about their child’s future, parents can finalize a school of their choice and as a final step can proceed towards filling up the registration form and paying a one-time registration fee for confirming a seat for their child in that particular school.