School Registration & Student Placement Framework
Regulated under Ministry of Education (MOE) Ministerial Decision No. 490 and KHDA / ADEK directives, all private schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi enforce a standardized December 31 age cutoff for student registration across UK, IB, US, and Indian curricula.
For KHDA school ratings and fee indices, see our Dubai KHDA School Ratings & Tuition Guide and degree attestation under MOFA Certificate Attestation Guide.
Evaluate Student Age Placement
Eligible for Admission into Year 1 / KG2
Child meets the KHDA / ADEK December 31 age cutoff for Year 1 / KG2. Attested Transfer Certificate (TC) is verified for school registration.
Dec 31 Age Placement Table
| Age 3 on Dec 31: | FS1 / Pre-K Placement |
| Age 4 on Dec 31: | FS2 / KG1 Placement |
| Age 5 on Dec 31: | Year 1 / KG2 Placement |
| Age 6 on Dec 31: | Year 2 / Grade 1 Placement |
Interlinked UAE Compliance Portals
Frequently Asked Questions (School Age Cutoffs & TC)
Under Ministry of Education, KHDA, and ADEK directives, the mandatory student age cutoff date across all UAE private and public schools is December 31 of the academic intake year.
A child must have turned 6 years old on or before December 31 to register for Grade 1 / Year 2 in UAE schools under our KHDA School Guide.
Transfer Certificates from overseas schools must be attested by the home country District Education Officer/Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), UAE Embassy, and MOFA UAE under our MOFA Certificate Attestation Guide.
Mid-year transfers within the UAE are permitted up to October 31 for Asian curriculum schools (April start) and November 30 for UK/IB/US curriculum schools (September start).
KHDA & ADEK VerifiedOfficial Education Authority Source
• Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA Dubai): khda.gov.ae
• Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK): adek.gov.ae