Fee Increase: 70% of Dubai Schools' Applications Approved

Around 70 percent of private schools in Dubai have received approval from KHDA to increase their school fees for the next academic year. 117 schools from a total of 169 private schools in the emirate have been notified that their application to increase fees has been authorised. A further 10 applications are still being processed.

The fee increases will come into effect during the next academic year which for all private schools other than the Indian curriculum is August of this year. The new Indian school year begins in April 2016.

The percentage of current fees that schools are permitted to increase is determined by their yearly inspection ratings. The higher the schools are rated the more they can increase their fees. This increase is based on the Education Cost Index (ECI) a figure released by KHDA in February. The ECI for this academic year is 2.92 per cent. The ECI is calculated annually by the Dubai Statistics Centre which takes into account the consumer price index and school operation costs, including remuneration, rent and utilities.

With the arrival of an additional 11 schools last September adding 23,000 new places there is, however, evidence that the landscape is changing. Founders discounts for new schools and sibling discounts are becoming more prevalent. WhichSchoolAdvisor.com has also been made aware that a number of leading schools have made recommendations to their boards not to apply for fee increases for the coming two to three years as competition for students begins to bite.