UAE: Up to 3.94% hike in tuition fees approved for schools in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has revealed the results of the Educational Cost Index (ECI) and announced the approved structure for optional increase of tuition fees for the academic year 2023 - 2024. The announcement follows a three-year pause in tuition fees to support parents during the pandemic and recovery period.

The increase is calculated based on the emirate’s Educational Cost Index (ECI) in collaboration with the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (SCAD) and individual schools’ Irtiqaa inspection scores.

Schools that ranked ‘Outstanding’ for the academic year 2021 - 2022 have the option to hike fees, with a maximum cap of 3.94 per cent in the new academic year, while schools that achieved a rating of ‘Very good’ qualify for a 3.38 per cent fee hike.

Schools rated as ‘Good’ are permitted to apply a 2.81 per cent increase, and schools rating ‘Acceptable’, ‘Weak’, and ‘Very weak’ can implement a maximum tuition fee increase of 2.25 per cent – reflecting the ECI score.

To be eligible for a standard tuition fee increase, the school must be operating for a minimum of three years and must adhere to the approved revised fees structure.

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