A Dubai private school can charge no more than AED 500 to process a new application, while a registration deposit can reach 10% of annual tuition. Under KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026, that deposit is refundable when formal notice arrives at least 60 calendar days before the student's start date.

The 2026 fee and refund rules at a glance

The first task is to identify the payment, because KHDA applies a different test to each one. The limits and refund rules below come from the School Registration & Refund Policy for Private Schools in Dubai, effective 23 March 2026.

For a family comparing schools, the school's approved fee sheet is the cleanest baseline. KHDA says every private school has a School Fees Fact Sheet showing mandatory and optional charges, available through the KHDA school directory, as verified on 22 July 2026.

If the question is whether the child is eligible for the intended year group, check the Dubai school starting-age rules before paying an application fee.

Application and registration deposits use different refund tests

An application fee depends on the admissions outcome, while a registration deposit depends mainly on timing. Under KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026, a school may charge up to AED 500 for processing a new application and standard assessment. That amount is separate from tuition and is not later deducted from the tuition bill.

The application fee is refundable when the student is not offered a place after assessment. It is also refundable when the school collected it without first explaining that no place was available or that the outcome could only be a wait-list position. If the school makes a formal offer and the parent declines it, the application fee is not refundable.

A registration deposit comes later. The school may request it only after a formal enrolment offer has been made and accepted, and it cannot exceed 10% of annual tuition. Once the child starts, the payment is deducted from first-term tuition.

The practical dividing line is 60 calendar days before the student's start date. KHDA's own example uses a deposit paid in April for a 1 September start. Formal notice on 30 June is 61 calendar days before the start date, so the deposit is refundable. Notice on 15 July is 47 calendar days before the same start date, so the deposit is not refundable under the standard timing rule.

Re-registration deposits follow the same 60-day clock

An existing student's re-registration deposit is refundable when formal notice reaches the school at least 60 calendar days before the next academic year starts. KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026 caps the deposit at 5% of annual tuition or AED 500, whichever is higher, and requires it to be credited to the following year's tuition.

Collection timing depends on the school calendar. A September-start school may collect the deposit only after spring break and cannot set a payment deadline earlier than 1 May. An April-start school may collect it only after winter break and cannot set a deadline earlier than 1 February.

If the stated deadline passes without payment and the child does not return for the following academic year, the school cannot later seek that unpaid re-registration deposit. The other side of that rule is operational: without payment by the stated deadline, the policy does not require the school to hold the place.

This is especially relevant for relocating families comparing more than one admission path. The Dubai schools guide for relocating families provides the curriculum and location context; the refund policy decides how a deposit behaves once an offer is accepted.

The written withdrawal date controls the calculation

The refund clock starts from the date on the formal written withdrawal request, not the child's last day in class. Under KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026, absence alone does not count as withdrawal, and fees continue to accrue while the student remains actively enrolled.

The clean sequence is short:

1. 1

   Submit the withdrawal request

   Send the school's required written form or request and state the intended withdrawal date clearly. This date cannot be backdated.

2. 2

   Confirm the recorded date

   Ask the school to confirm the date that will appear on the Withdrawal Certificate. The tuition calculation runs from that recorded date.

3. 3

   Settle the calculated balance

   The school applies the term-based deduction and accounts for amounts already paid. Outstanding fees for the enrolled period remain payable.

4. 4

   Collect the right certificate

   A Withdrawal Certificate records departure without an immediate transfer. A Transfer Certificate confirms eligibility to move to another school and settlement of outstanding fees.

A school may withhold a Transfer Certificate while outstanding fees remain unpaid. Once they are settled, KHDA's policy says the certificate must be issued promptly without an added processing charge. A child moving from a KHDA-permitted nursery or other early childhood centre also needs a valid Transfer Certificate or Withdrawal Certificate before school enrolment is confirmed.

Tuition refunds are calculated term by term

The amount retained depends on how long the student was enrolled in the current term. KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026 uses three bands:

KHDA's first example places the withdrawal date 10 days into Term 2. Because that falls within two weeks, the school deducts one month's fees and refunds the rest of the Term 2 payment. Its second example uses day 25 of Term 2, which falls between two weeks and one month, so two months' fees are deducted and the balance is refunded.

Fees paid before the academic year begins are refundable, subject to the registration or re-registration deposit rule when notice arrives less than 60 calendar days before the start date. The policy permits schools to collect annual tuition as three termly instalments, with Term 1 capped at 40%, Term 2 at 30%, and Term 3 at 30%, or as 10 equal monthly instalments. The refund formula still follows the student's official withdrawal date and the current term.

Optional services and service interruptions have separate rules

Transport, trips, and extracurricular activities do not use the core tuition refund table. KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026 treats these as optional services governed by the written terms accepted when the family opted in. Those terms should be provided before payment.

Optional services paid before the academic year begins are refundable when no binding third-party contract is already in place and the applicable conditions were communicated clearly. Even when an outside company delivers the service, the school remains responsible for explaining the terms and refund conditions to parents.

Service interruption has another test. If a school voluntarily suspends or reduces a service for reasons within its control, it must notify parents in writing. Tuition remains payable for periods when education was available and delivered, including KHDA-approved distance learning. For a period when the service was not delivered, the policy provides for an agreed written remedy such as a fee credit, additional sessions, or a pro-rated refund.

When a government directive or other circumstance beyond both parties stops delivery, fees paid for the undelivered period are held as credit. KHDA's policy provides three written resolution routes: apply the credit to future tuition if the child returns, transfer it to a sibling at the same school, or return it as a full refund.

A fee dispute starts with the school's documented process

KHDA escalation comes after the school's internal complaints process has been completed and documented. The policy effective 23 March 2026 allows either party to refer an unresolved matter to KHDA through its official channels, and KHDA may request evidence from both sides.

The useful evidence set follows the calculation:

• the application or enrolment offer and the date it was accepted
• the approved School Fees Fact Sheet for the relevant academic year
• receipts for the application fee, deposit, tuition, and optional services
• the written withdrawal notice and proof of delivery
• the school's calculation and its internal complaint response
• the Withdrawal Certificate or Transfer Certificate, when issued

The strongest fit for a straightforward calculation is to place every document on one timeline: offer, payment, written notice, official withdrawal date, and term start. That makes it clear whether the issue concerns the application outcome, the 60-day deposit line, or the term-based tuition deduction.

Is a Dubai school application fee refundable?+

Under KHDA's policy effective 23 March 2026, it is refundable if no place is offered after assessment, or if the school did not disclose that no place was available or that only a wait-list outcome was possible before collecting the fee. It is not refundable after a formal offer that the parent chooses not to accept.

Is the registration deposit an extra school fee?+

No. KHDA treats the registration deposit as an advance payment credited to first-term tuition. The same principle applies to the re-registration deposit for the following academic year.

Does my child's last day in class start the refund calculation?+

No. The date stated on the formal written withdrawal request controls the calculation. Absence does not itself end enrolment or trigger a refund.

Can a Dubai school charge for a Transfer Certificate?+

No added processing charge is permitted. A school may hold the certificate while outstanding fees remain, but KHDA's policy says it must issue the document promptly once those fees are settled.

Are school bus and activity fees covered by the tuition refund table?+

No. Transport, trips, and extracurricular activities are optional services governed by their written terms. Those terms should be disclosed before payment, and the school remains responsible for explaining them even when a third party provides the service.