General Definitions
Term Definition
KHDA
Application fees
Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
A fee charged to process the application of new students. This fee includes standard assessment fees and is not part of tuition fees.
Registration deposit A deposit paid by parents to confirm a new student's enrolment.
Re-registration deposit
Tuition fees
Mandatory services fees
Optional services fees
A deposit paid by parents to guarantee their child’s place for the next academic year.
The fee charged for the academic year, as specified in the School Fee Fact Sheet, excluding any fees for mandatory services or optional services that parents may opt for.
Mandatory fees that are approved and regulated by KHDA.
Fees for services that are not part of the curriculum delivery but are offered by the school or third parties, such as transportation, extracurricular activities, trips, and similar services-which parents can choose to opt into.
Term (for payment purposes)
Withdrawal Certificate
Transfer Certificate
One of three designated payment periods in the academic year, each aligning with a school break, i.e. term 1, term 2, term 3. The fee structure must be divided into a minimum of three payment terms regardless of the school's internal academic structure.
A formal document issued by the school in response to a withdrawal request submitted by the child's parent or legal guardian.
An official document issued by the current school confirming that a child is eligible to transfer to another school, into a grade compliant with the current legislation, and that all financial obligations have been settled.
Distance Learning
GovernmentEnforced Closure
Application fees:
The delivery of the educational programme through remote, digital, or technology-enabled means, whether directed by KHDA, the UAE Ministry of Education, or any other government authority, or implemented by the school, with KHDA approval.
Any period during which a school is directed by KHDA, the UAE Ministry of Education, or any other government authority to suspend physical operations.
• Schools may charge up to AED 500 to process new students’ applications and cover standard assessments and administrative costs.
• Before accepting an application or collecting any fee, the school must confirm (to the parents) whether a place is available at the relevant grade/year group.
• The application fee is refundable if:
o The student is not offered a place following an assessment.
o The school collected the fee without first informing the parent that no place was available or that the student would be put on a wait list.
• The application fee is non-refundable if the school makes a formal offer, and the parent chooses not to accept it.
• The application fee is not deductible from the tuition fees.
Registration deposit:
• Schools may ask parents to pay a deposit to confirm a new student's enrolment.
• This registration deposit may only be requested after a formal offer of enrolment has been made and the parent has accepted it. Schools must not request any deposit before a formal offer has been issued.
• The registration deposit cannot be more than 10% of the annual tuition fees.
• The registration deposit is deductible from the tuition fees for the term of enrolment. It is not an additional cost, but an advance payment that is offset against fees once the student begins.
Iftheparentacceptstheofferandthestudentenrols:
• The registration deposit is applied against the tuition fees for the term of enrolment.
Iftheparentacceptstheofferbutsubsequentlydecidesnottoproceedwiththeenrolment:
• The registration fee is refundable if the parent formally notifies the school of their intention to cancel the enrolment at least 60 calendar days prior to the school’s start date.
• The registration fee is non-refundable if the parent formally notifies the school of their intention to cancel the enrolment less than 60 calendar days prior to the school’s start date.
Iftheparentdoesnotaccepttheoffer:
• No registration deposit is payable.
Re-registration deposit:
• Schools may ask parents to pay a re-registration deposit to guarantee their child's place for the following academic year.
• This re-registration deposit cannot be more than 5% of the annual tuition fees or AED 500, whichever is higher.
• The re-registration deposit is deductible from the tuition fees for the term of enrolment in the following academic year.
• The school cannot ask for payment of any additional fees or deposits other than the re-registration deposit to secure a child's place.
Iftheparentpaysthere-registrationdepositbutsubsequentlydecidesnottoproceed:
• The re-registration deposit is refundable if the parent formally notifies the school of their intention to withdraw their child at least 60 calendar days prior to the start of the following academic year.
• The re-registration deposit is non-refundable if the parent formally notifies the school of their intention to withdraw their child less than 60 calendar days prior to the start of the following academic year.
Iftheparentdoesnotpaythere-registrationdepositbythestateddeadline:
• The school cannot guarantee the child's place for the following academic year.
• If the re-registration deposit was not paid by the stated deadline and the child does not enrol in the following academic year, the school cannot seek payment of that reregistration deposit at a later date.
Registration and Re-registration Procedures and Conditions
In addition to the terms of the parent-school contract, all Dubai private schools must adhere to the following regulations governing student registration and re-registration.
For existing students:
• The school may begin the re-registration process at any time during the academic year.
• Schools that begin the academic year in September can collect the re-registration deposit only after the end of the spring break, and the payment deadline must not be set earlier than May 1.
• Schools that begin the academic year in April can collect the re-registration deposit only after the end of the winter break, and the payment deadline must not be set earlier than February 1.
• KHDA’s system accepts students for re-registration based on the above dates, i.e. for September-start schools in April of the same academic year, and for April-start schools in January of the same academic year.
• Schools must obtain KHDA approval before refusing to re-register a student for the next academic year. In case of withdrawal from a school after the re-registration deposit is paid, it is the responsibility of the parent to complete and submit a withdrawal request before the refund deadline. If the withdrawal request is not submitted within the deadline, the deposit will be treated as non-refundable.
New students:
• Schools can register new students at any time during the academic year.
• New schools must have KHDA prior approval before registering students.
• If new students enrol during the academic year, the school can charge tuition fees starting from the month of enrolment. (For example, if a new student enrols in a new
school in the 3rd week of October, the school can charge tuition fees from the beginning of October.)
General conditions:
• Apart from the registration or re-registration deposits, schools cannot ask for any additional payment to guarantee student enrolment and re-enrolment.
• Schools can only collect annual tuition fees in three instalments, due at the beginning of each term. The first term's payment should not exceed 40% of the annual tuition fees; the second payment not more than 30% of annual tuition fees; and the third term not more than 30% of annual tuition fees.
• Schools can also choose to collect annual tuition fees as 10 equal monthly instalments. The monthly repayment amount is calculated by dividing the total tuition fees by 10.
• For any child who was previously enrolled at any KHDA-permitted ECC or school offering provision for children under 6, a valid Transfer Certificate or Withdrawal Certificate must be submitted as part of the registration process before enrolment is confirmed.
• Where a parent does not formally re-register their child or otherwise does not confirm the student's enrolment for the following academic year, the school may not seek payment of any registration or re-registration fee that was not already paid by the applicable due date. In such cases, the school may not guarantee the child's place for the following academic year.
• In the event of a government-enforced closure, registration and re-registration deposits collected are subject to the standard refund provisions set out in this policy.
Withdrawal Certificate and Refund Date
When a parent wishes to withdraw their child from school, they must complete and submit a withdrawal request. This is a formal school document on which the parent specifies the intended withdrawal date.
• The same intended withdrawal date must be recorded on the Withdrawal Certificate is the official date from which all refund calculations are made.
• The refund date is not determined by the date the student was last physically present or last class attended.
• The school is entitled to withhold the Withdrawal Certificate until all outstanding fees have been paid in full.
• The Withdrawal Certificate is required for a student to register at any other private school or educational institution in Dubai and across the UAE.
Important:Astudent'sabsencefromschooldoesnotconstitutewithdrawalortriggerarefund. Beinglistedontheschool'sregistrarisconsideredactiveenrolment,regardlessofattendance. Parents must complete andsubmitawithdrawal requestat the earliest opportunity to avoidadditionalfeeliability.
Outstanding Fees and Transfer Certificate
Prior to or at the time of a student's withdrawal, the parent or legal guardian must settle all outstanding fees in full. Outstanding fees include any tuition fees, mandatory services fees, or other approved charges that remain unpaid.
• The school is entitled to withhold the Transfer Certificate until all outstanding fees have been paid in full.
• The Transfer Certificate is required for a student to register at any other private school or educational institution in Dubai and across the UAE.
Ifoutstandingfeesarenotsettled,theTransferCertificatewillnotbeissued.Parentsare stronglyurgedtoensureallfeesaresettledatthetimeoftransfertoavoidanydisruptionto theirchild'scontinuededucation.
Refunds Procedures and Conditions
Tuition Fees Refund
For a refund, tuition fees will be calculated on a term-by-term basis. The refund calculation is based on the withdrawal date recorded on the Withdrawal Certificate, which is the same date that the parent specified in their withdrawal request submitted to the school.
• Tuition fees paid prior to the beginning of the academic year are refundable, and only the registration or re-registration fees will be deducted if the withdrawal was requested less than 60 calendar days prior to the start date.
• If the student was enrolled in the term for two weeks or less: a month's fees will be deducted.
• If the student was enrolled in the term for a period between two weeks and one month: two months fees will be deducted.
• If the student was enrolled in the term for more than one month: the full term's fees will be deducted.
Mandatory and Optional Services Fee Refund
Schools offer services beyond the core curriculum, either directly or through third-party providers. These include but are not limited to transportation, extracurricular activities, trips, uniforms, examination fees, and any other mandatory or optional services. The following provisions apply:
• All fees for services beyond core tuition must be clearly itemised, with their refund terms communicated to parents in writing before payment is made and reflected in the parent-school contract.
• Fees for Mandatory services paid prior to the beginning of the academic year are refundable.
• Fees for Optional services are governed by the terms agreed between the school or third-party provider and the parent at the time of enrolment.
• Where a service is delivered by a third party, the school is responsible for ensuring parents are informed of all applicable terms and refund conditions. Schools must ensure their contracts with third-party providers include provisions that protect parents in the event of non-delivery, forced closure, or a transition to distance learning.
• Fees for Optional service paid before the start of the academic year are refundable, provided no binding third-party contract is in place.
General conditions:
• The above refund policy is applicable per term, depending on the withdrawal date recorded on the Withdrawal Certificate.
• The refund will be calculated from the start of the term to the withdrawal date on the Withdrawal Certificate not from the date when the student was absent. Being on the school register counts as days in school.
• Book fees are only refundable if the student leaves prior to the start of the academic year.
Service Continuity and Fee Obligations
Voluntary suspension of service:
When a school temporarily suspends or reduces its services for reasons within its own control, the following apply:
• The school must notify parents in writing as soon as the decision is made, stating the reason and the expected duration.
• Tuition fees remain payable for any period during which the service was available and provided, including where the service is delivered through distance learning or any other alternative method deemed appropriate and approved by KHDA.
• For any period during which the service was not provided, the school must compensate the parents. This may be through a fee credit, additional sessions when the service resumes, or a prorated refund for the period not delivered. The chosen solution must be agreed in writing between the school and the parents.
Circumstances
beyond the control of either party (parents or schools):
This sub-section applies where the delivery of services is fully or partially interrupted due to government enforced closure:
• Tuition fees remain payable for any period during which the service was available and delivered, including when the service is delivered through distance learning or any other alternative method deemed appropriate and approved by KHDA.
• Schools delivering an approved distance learning programme are not required to reduce, discount, or waive any portion of the KHDA-approved tuition fee on the grounds that education is being delivered remotely. A parent's decision not to engage with the available distance learning programme does not constitute grounds for withholding or reducing tuition fees. Any concerns regarding the quality or delivery of distance learning should be raised through the school's internal complaints process. Fees remain payable in full during the resolution of any such complaint.
• The school retains all fees for the period during which the service was available and delivered. These fees are considered payable and are not refundable.
• Fees for the period when the service could no longer be delivered are eligible for a refund to the parent and must be addressed through one of the following methods, agreed in writing between the school and the parent:
o Credit note: The school issues a formal credit note for the value of the eligible amount, to be applied against future tuition fees, provided the student remains enrolled at the same school upon resumption of services. Where the child does not return to the school, the held amount is refunded to the parent.
o Transfer of credit: Where the family has another child in the same school or anticipates enrolling another child at the same school, the eligible amount may be transferred and applied against the sibling child’s tuition fees.
o Full refund: The held amount is returned to the parent in full, corresponding to the period for which the service could not be delivered.
• Tuition fees are payable to the school for each day that the service was available and delivered. From the day the school is unable to deliver its service, tuition fees are no longer payable.
• Where the service continues to be available and delivered including through distance learning or any other method approved by KHDA fees are payable in full. A parent's choice not to use or engage with the service does not constitute grounds for non-payment. If a parent does not wish for their child to continue, they must formally withdraw their child in accordance with the withdrawal process set out in this policy. The standard refund provisions will then apply from the withdrawal date.
• A government-enforced closure does not affect a school's entitlement to open, communicate, and collect re-registration deposits for the following academic year
through digital or remote means. Any re-registration deposits collected during a closure period are subject to the standard refund provisions set out in this policy.
Disputes and Escalation to KHDA
• Schools are expected to resolve any fee, refund, or withdrawal disputes with parents through their internal complaints and resolution process.
• It is required that all internal resolution steps have been completed and documented before a matter is referred to KHDA.
• When a dispute remains unresolved following the conclusion of the school's internal process, either party may refer the matter to KHDA through its official channels.
• As part of the review process, KHDA may request documentary evidence from either or both parties.
• Schools must cooperate fully with any such review and provide all documentation requested.