The UAE has announced a new rule for school admissions. According to the Ministry Of Education, the new official age cut-off is 31 December of the admission year. Earlier, the age cut-off was 31 August. The rule will be applicable from the 2026–2027 academic year.
The new rule applies to all schools and kindergartens that start in August or September. However, schools starting in April will continue using 31 March as the cut-off. The Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council said that the rule will be applicable only for new admissions, while current students are not affected.
The updated policy means that children who had to be three by 31 August, typically the start date of the academic year, in order to be admitted to pre-kindergarten, can now join at the age of two, if they turn three by 31 December.
Here are the age requirements by entry level:
|
Level / Grade
|
British Curriculum
|
French Curriculum
|
Other International Curricula
|
Required Age by Dec 31
|
|
Pre-K
|
Foundation Stage 1 (FS1)
|
Petite Section
|
Pre-KG
|
3 years old
|
|
KG1
|
Foundation Stage 2 (FS2)
|
Moyenne Section
|
KG1
|
4 years old
|
|
KG2
|
Year 1
|
Grande Section
|
KG2
|
5 years old
|
|
Grade 1
|
Year 2
|
Cours Préparatoire
|
Grade 1
|
6 years old
|
The decision is aimed at ensuring fair access to early education through unified admission criteria and alignment of education policies with international standards and national development goals.