UAE Announces New Age Cut-Off For KG, Grade 1 School Admissions From Next Academic Year

The UAE has announced a new age cut-off for school admissions for kindergarten and Grade 1 students for the academic year 2026–2027, after approval from the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council.

The new official age cut-off is December 31 of the admission year. Previously, the cut-off was August 31.

The new rule will apply to all schools and kindergartens that start in August or September. Schools starting in April will continue using March 31 as the cut-off.

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Current students are not affected, with the policy applying to new admissions only.

Meanwhile, placement for students transferring between schools, curricula (e.g., British, American, or other international systems), or those arriving from outside the UAE, will be based on the last successfully completed grade and academic progression, in line with approved grade equivalency procedures.

The decision is aimed at ensuring fair access to early education through unified admission criteria and alignment of education policies with international standards and national development goals.

Thorough study behind new move

The policy shift is underpinned by national and international research assessing child readiness across core developmental domains, including cognitive, socio-emotional, language, and motor skills. Analysis of these domains confirmed that while age is a factor, school readiness is shaped by a broader set of interacting developmental indicators.

A national dataset of more than 39,000 students was analysed, including children who had enrolled at ages 3, 4, and 5 under the previous cut-off system.

The academic performance data revealed no significant disadvantages associated with early entry. In some cases, students who entered at age 3 demonstrated stronger academic outcomes. Conversely, those who enrolled later showed marginally lower performance.

The updated policy is designed to ensure greater fairness and consistency in enrolment, facilitate smoother transitions between different curricula, and better match early education expectations to age-appropriate developmental stages.

The major change comes after a FNC proposal last year which voiced the concerns of parents with children born just after the August 31 deadline, who face a frustrating period during school admissions, as they are unable to enrol their kids in either schools or nurseries.

These children are considered too young for formal schooling but too old for preschool, leaving them to wait an entire year before they can begin their education.

The issue was raised in the Federal National Council on December 18, with calls for the Ministry of Education to reconsider the cut-off date, particularly given that many local children are born in October and November.

A 2021 ministerial decision limited a child's admission age into kindergarten to a minimum of four years as of August 31 of the year of admission. During the meeting, Saeed Al Aabdi, a member representing Ras Al Khaimah at the Council, urged the Minister of Education, Sarah Al Amiri, to provide a three-month exception to that rule.

With inputs from Wam

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