Dubai schools hike fees: Parents pay up to Dh5,000 more, consider affordable academies

Dubai parents have begun receiving school fee increase notifications after regulators allowed a hike earlier this year. While some will have modest fee increases of just Dh200 per year for a child, parents of more premium schools will see their fees go up almost Dh5,000 annually for one child.

To offset the cost, some parents are opting to pay an entire year’s fees in one go, while others are looking to move their children to cheaper schools. On the other hand, some parents are happy that their fee hikes have been minimal and affordable.

For Dubai parent Manal whose children study at an Indian syllabus school in Al Quoz, the total fee hike for both her children will be Dh400 per annum. “I am very glad that the increase is manageable and not a huge burden,” she said. “We had budgeted for an increase this year so we were not caught off-guard.”

In May this year, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) approved an Education Cost Index (ECI) of 2.35 per cent for for-profit private schools in the emirate for academic year 2025-2026. This allows schools to increase their fees based on their individual school grade as per the results of the Dubai School Inspection Bureau (DSIB), and the ECI. 

Indian expat Vivek has two children studying in an outstanding premium school in the emirate. The current yearly school fees for his children range between Dh87,000 to Dh92,000 and he would have to shell out an additional Dh10,000 per annum for both children together. “However, our school gives the option of paying the entire year’s fees in one go,” he said. “This has given us a lump sum discount so the total fee increase for me has come to about Dh3,000 per year for both children.”

‘No other option’

German parent Greta said that she will “feel the pinch” of the school fees increase but has “no other option” as all schools have hiked their charges.

“Three of my children go to a British syllabus school in Jumeirah and I got the email yesterday that my school fees have been hiked by Dh2,000 per child per annum,” said Dubai resident Greta. “That is a total increase of Dh6,000 per year in school fees alone. The books, uniforms and other study material are not included in that. However, changing the school is not an option for us because my eldest will be going to Year 11 in the next academic year and I don’t think it is wise to change him now. Maybe next year, I might look into it.”

However, she added that she discussed cutting down on some extra-curricular activities and her husband to offset the cost of school fees.

Dubai currently has 227 private schools serving 387,441 students from 185 nationalities. The sector recorded an unprecedented 12 per cent increase in student enrollment in the 2023-24 academic year.

For Mohammed Iqbal whose children study at a British syllabus school in Qusais, the increase has been manageable. “My children are both in secondary school and the total fee hike has been Dh1,200 annually,” he said. “I was expecting a little more than that so I am very happy.”

Second year in a row

Parent R.M. whose children attend a British syllabus school in Dubai said she has been hit with fee increases for two years in a row. “Last year, our school increased fees by 4.55 percent and this year again, they announced a 2.35 percent hike,” she said. “While I understand that the cost for businesses is going up, it puts a burden on parents because unfortunately salaries don’t increase at the same rate as the costs. I began researching schools as soon as I heard about the fee hike but then soon realized that changing schools would bring with it a fresh set of challenges. So we decided to stay put at our current one.”

Meanwhile some parents foresaw the fee increase and moved their children ahead of time. Umm Mohammed said that she decided to move her daughter from an expensive school in Dubai to a more reasonable one. “We were paying over Dh55,000 in annual fees at our previous school,” she said. “It was already the higher upper limit of what we could afford. So last year, we decided to move her to another school. Now we pay Dh30,000 inclusive of school fees, uniforms and books. When the announcement of the school fees came, I was relieved. At our previous school, the fee increase would have been really difficult for us. But now, the fee increase is about Dh1,000 per annum. It is very manageable for us. I think it was the best decision to move her.”