DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved a major change to the school admission age policy, effective from the 2026-2027 academic year.
Under the new rules, the cutoff date for children’s admission has been moved from August 31 to December 31.
The decision was approved by the Education, Human Development, and Community Development Council based on recommendations from the Ministry of Education. The policy will apply to all schools and kindergartens with academic years starting in August or September.
According to the new regulations:
Pre-Kindergarten: minimum age 3 years by December 31
Kindergarten One: minimum age 4 years by December 31
Kindergarten Two: minimum age 5 years by December 31
Grade One: minimum age 6 years by December 31
Officials stated that the age limits were aligned with British, French, and other international educational systems to facilitate student transfers between different curricula.
The policy will apply only to new admissions. Students already enrolled in schools will continue under the age criteria in place at the time of their enrollment.
For Pakistani schools in the UAE that start their academic year in April, the admission cutoff will remain March 31, with no changes to their system.
Authorities said the decision followed a review of educational data from more than 39,000 children. Research indicated that starting school at a younger age does not negatively affect academic performance, and in some cases, students showed improved results.
The new policy aims to enhance educational readiness, ensure fairness, and promote uniformity within the UAE education system.
