2016-17: Dubai's IB Diploma Schools

Welcome to the WhichSchoolAdvisor.com 2016 guide to the best IB Diploma Schools in Dubai. 

If you remain confused about the IB Diploma programme, you are certainly not alone.

Dubai schools offer a myriad of ways to reach the Diploma, students can either opt for the entire IB system from Kindergarten to post 16-study, or choose one of the many schools offering British/US/Indian examinations prior to students moving into year 12 and tackling the IB Diploma.

But why is this?

Well, some critics of the IB system say in the full IB programme there is no real testing prior to the Diploma, for some parents this can be worrisome. What if their child 'fails' the Diploma? They are left with no other previous results  to fall back on, and to take forward.

For other students who might not be quite so 'academic,' the Diploma can be 'challenging' and for this reason, many schools like to offer another 'senior' option. Some choose other curricula such as the British, US or Indian exam systems while others offer the CP, a vocational option available via the IB programme.

The Diploma in Dubai vs Abu Dhabi

Dubai offers significantly more Diploma school options with 17 schools in total, while Abu Dhabi offers only nine.

The average annual Diploma fee for Dubai schools is 79,742 AED, this is an increase of 2,982 AED on the 2015 Diploma fee. Abu Dhabi's average fees remain significantly lower at 54,006 AED.

Although this might not seem like quite such a good deal for Dubai's parents, Dubai schools do offer significantly more Diploma course options (according to the official IB site) with an average of 27.5 per school, when compared with Abu Dhabi where schools only have an average of 19 courses.

Dubai schools also offer students a broad range of complementary curricula, an impressive choice in diploma options and of course, some of the biggest brand names in UAE and global education.

Also see
To see how well IB schools did at the Diploma, see our UAE school exam results story.