Families of expatriate children enrolled in the UAE’s public schools have until August 15, 2026 to settle the opening portion of tuition owed for the coming school year, with administrations warning that a missed payment could interrupt a student’s registration for 2026-2027.
The instruction reached parents through a circular issued by school administrations, which pressed guardians to treat the deadline as firm. Those who fall behind risk administrative steps taken under the ministry’s standing rules and regulations, the circular stated.
Public schools in the country charge non-Emirati pupils an annual tuition capped at AED 6,000, and the Ministry of Education allows parents to clear the amount either in a single payment or across three equal installments of AED 2,000 each spread over the school year. Of that total, an initial AED 2,000 is non-refundable once paid.
Guardians who do not meet their obligations face consequences that, under the ministry’s approved commitment form, can extend to withheld academic records, a block on advancing to the next grade, and a freeze on any transfer or withdrawal request until the balance is cleared.
The timing is deliberate. The reminder lands as schools work through the administrative and financial checklist that precedes the new year, an effort meant to confirm that every registration requirement is in place before classes resume.
Enrollment in public schools is open to expatriate pupils from Grade 2 through Grade 12, provided the family holds valid UAE residency and the student maintains marks of at least 85 percent in Arabic, English, and mathematics. Instruction across all subjects is delivered in Arabic.
