KHDA clarifies Dubai school fee deposits, refund rules and key deadlines for parents.
Dubai: With Dubai schools set to reopen on August 31, parents may be busy checking uniforms, school bags and fee payments. But before the new academic year begins, it is important to understand what schools can charge and when parents may be entitled to refunds.
The recently issued Policy for Private Schools in Dubai by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) sets out rules governing school fees, registration deposits and refunds.
Application fees capped at Dh500
Schools can charge an application fee of up to Dh500, in line with KHDA regulations.
The application fee must be refunded if:
- Your child is not offered a place following the school’s assessment.
- The school did not inform you before payment that no place was available or that your child would be placed on a waiting list.
- The fee is not refundable if your child is offered a place but you decide not to accept it.
Any non-refundable application fee cannot be deducted from the school’s tuition fees.
Registration deposit: capped at 10% of annual fees
Schools can charge a registration deposit of up to 10% of the annual tuition fee.
This is not an additional charge. The deposit must be deducted from your child’s tuition fees once they start attending school.
Parents can only be asked to pay the registration deposit after receiving and accepting a formal offer of admission.
The deposit is also refundable if parents provide the required notice under the 60-day rule.
Re-registration deposit: maximum 5% or Dh500
For existing students, schools can charge a re-registration deposit of up to 5% of tuition fees or Dh500, whichever is lower.
This is the only payment that can be used to secure a child’s place for the following academic year and must be deducted from the next year’s tuition fees.
For schools starting in September, the deposit can only be collected after the spring break and no earlier than May 1. For schools with an April start, it cannot be collected before February 1.
If parents miss the payment deadline, their child’s place is not guaranteed. However, if a school fails to request the deposit within the permitted period, it cannot ask parents to pay it at a later date.
Key deadlines for parents
Parents should keep two important deadlines in mind:
60 days: Written notice must be provided at least 60 calendar days before the child’s start date to receive a full refund of the registration deposit. The same 60-day notice period applies to re-registration deposits, with notice required before the start of the next academic year.
10 days: If a KHDA-approved fee increase is announced after payment has been made, parents have 10 calendar days to withdraw their child and qualify for a full refund of applicable deposits or fees.
How school fee refunds are calculated
Refunds are calculated based on the date the school receives the formal written withdrawal request, rather than the child’s last day of attendance. Withdrawal requests cannot be backdated.
Simply stopping attendance does not end the fee obligation while the child remains officially enrolled.
If the academic year has already started, the amount the school can retain depends on how long the child has attended:
- Two weeks or less: The school may charge one month’s fees.
- More than two weeks but up to one month: The school may charge two months’ fees.
- More than one month: No refund is due, and the full term’s fees are payable.
If a child withdraws before the academic year begins, fees are generally refundable. However, the school may retain the registration deposit if the required 60 days’ notice was not provided.
What happens if a school closes?
If a school is unable to provide education because of a school suspension or government-mandated closure, parents must be compensated for the period during which the service is unavailable.
Compensation can be provided through a credit note valid for six months, a credit that can be transferred to a sibling at the same school, or a full refund.
However, fees remain payable when education continues to be provided, including through KHDA-approved distance learning or another approved arrangement. Simply choosing not to use an available service does not, by itself, entitle parents to a fee reduction.
What about books, transport and other services?
Mandatory service fees paid before the academic year begins are refundable.
Optional services such as school transport, activities and trips are subject to the terms agreed in writing when the service was enrolled.
Book fees are refundable only if the child withdraws before the academic year begins.
