Schools Can Charge 30% of Fees in Advance to Secure Place: KHDA

Schools in Dubai are entitled to ask parents to produce a substantial cash advance to secure admission for new students, according to KHDA. There has been some speculation about the rules surrounding admission and re-registration fees and KHDA has sought to clarify what the situation is.

“A school may charge up to 30 per cent of the school’s tuition fees as an admission fee to new students in confirmation that selected students will opt to take up the offered places,” said Mohammed Ahmed Darwish, Chief of Regulations & Permits Commission. “This fee should be deducted from the total tuition fees for the academic year in which the admission is being sought.

If parents of two children who are attending a school with fees of 40,000 dhs per pupil are looking to seek admission for these children this will leave them looking for a hefty up-front cash advance of 24,000 dhs to secure the places.

“A school may charge existing students up to 10 per cent of the school’s tuition fees as a re-registration deposit to confirm the return of existing students in the new academic year,” said Mr Darwish. “This deposit should be deducted from the total tuition fees for the academic year in which the admission is being sought.”

All of the rules and regulations regarding fees and charges will be set out in the ‘Parent-School Contract’ which all parents and schools will be required to sign in the upcoming academic year.