Image courtesy: WAM/ For illustrative purposes
The UAE has approved a change to the age cut-off date for admissions to kindergarten and Grade 1, shifting it to December 31 of the admission year starting from the 2026–2027 academic year, the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council said on Wednesday.
Under the updated policy, the new cut-off date will apply to all schools and kindergartens whose academic year begins in August or September. The previous cut-off date was August 31.
The change was formally recommended by the Ministry of Education following a comprehensive technical and pedagogical review, according to to a report published by the state news agency, WAM.
KG and Grade 1 admission eligibility
To be eligible for admission, children must meet the following age requirements by December 31 of the admission year: three years old for Pre-Kindergarten, four for Kindergarten 1, five for Kindergarten 2, and six for Grade 1.
These levels correspond to equivalent stages across British, French and other international curricula.
The decision will apply only to new admissions for the 2026–2027 academic year and will not affect students already enrolled, who will continue under the rules in place at the time of their original registration.
Schools that begin their academic year in April will continue to follow the existing March 31 cut-off date, with no changes announced.
Student placement for transfers between schools or curricula, as well as for students arriving from outside the UAE, will continue to be based on the last successfully completed grade and approved equivalency procedures.
According to the WAM report, the policy update is based on national and international research examining school readiness across cognitive, socio-emotional, language and motor development domains.
The review included analysis of data from more than 39,000 students who enrolled at ages three, four and five under the previous system.
The findings showed no significant academic disadvantages linked to earlier school entry. In some cases, students who enrolled at age three demonstrated stronger academic outcomes, while later entry was associated with marginally lower performance.
The council said the revised cut-off is intended to improve fairness and consistency in enrolment, support smoother transitions between curricula and better align early education with age-appropriate developmental stages.
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