The processes outlined below are managed and administered by the Admissions office, in collaboration and consultation with school Principals.
1. Applications for Admission
Applications are accepted at all times during the school year. Applications must be completed online through the school website. If there are no places available at the time then the application is placed onto the school’s waiting list.
2. Invitation for Assessment
Due to the COVID-19 situation and to ensure the safety of the school community, and following the directions of the authorities, the school is currently closed. Hence, we are not in a position to conduct any assessments on site. Please contact the admissions department at [email protected] for any questions and check on our website for latest updates.
3. Selection Criteria
Selection is based on multiple criteria. These are:-
- Performance in the CAT 4 entrance test. KG1, KG2 and Year 1 applicants are also assessed for school readiness. They must be toilet trained and have a level of independence.
- Past school results and report.
- Face to face interview, if required, with the Admissions Officer /School Counsellor/ Academic Co-ordinator / School Principal / or other designated school staff.
- Age appropriateness for the year/grade level to which admission is sought.
- Transfer Certificate from the previous school.
- Priority will be given to siblings of those who have secured admission to the school.
- Students needing EAL (English as an Additional Language) support will be accepted from Year 1 to Year 11. Students who are new to English or have not been schooled with English as the primary medium of instruction can avail of this support. The admissions team is able to decide if further assessments or support is required, based on initial assessment. Parents will be advised accordingly.
- The child’s previous curriculum is taken into consideration as well as limitations with regards to transfer dates for local transfers as defined by the KHDA.
4. Procedures for Assessment
4.1 Subject to available seats, applicants will undergo an assessment. The specific nature of this assessment is the responsibility of the school, and the relevant details are as mentioned below.
4.2 For applicants based locally, assessments will be undertaken at the school premises.If this is not possible then the assessment will be undertaken online under the supervision of a qualified teacher, where applicable. For applicants currently outside UAE abroad assessments can be arranged. The evaluation and year placement will be done by the School. An assessment fee is applicable for both onsite and abroad assessments.
4.3 For KG1 a questionnaire will be sent to the parents, there is no personal assessment. For KG2, Year 1 and Year 2 there is a personal assessment in English. Number work and non- verbal clues may be used. For Year 3 and above CAT4 digital testing is conducted via an online platform (the fourth edition of GL Cognitive Abilities Test) that assesses a student’s reasoning (thinking) abilities in key areas in a series of Verbal, Non-Verbal, Quantitative and Spatial Ability tasks.
4.4 Where appropriate a face-to-face interview may also be undertaken with the relevant school authority.
4.5 The following documents are required at the time of assessment
- 1 photocopy of birth certificate, passport, visa, and Emirates ID of student
- latest 2 year’s full school reports or transcripts
- photocopy of immunisation records
- 2 passport photos
Transfer Certificate:
For Overseas Transfers: copy of the Transfer Certificate from the previous school, attested as per the requirements of the KHDA.
For Local Transfers: the student should have been registered on the KHDA systems at the previous local school in the Emirate and the necessary transfer formalities on the KHDA systems requires to be completed by the previous school, before enrolment is confirmed at our school.
It is mandated by the regulatory authorities of the UAE that on enrolment, the Emirates IDs of student & parent be electronically swiped at the admission’s office in order to be registered with the regulatory body KHDA. Once this registration is approved by the KHDA, parents will be invited by the school to electronically sign the Parent School Contract as the final step of the student’s official registration.
4.6 Parent School Contract (PSC): (applicable for new admissions only) it is mandatory for parents to sign the Parent School Contract once the student’s admission has been approved and registered in the KHDA systems. This remains valid until the student leaves the school.
5. Service Standards
The admission process for each child needs to be completed within 5 working days of the assessment if the student is based in Dubai. To achieve this goal, the following process and service standards have been defined:-
| Responding to parents after receiving the application | 1-2 working days |
| Receiving test results from admissions/teachers | 3 working days |
| Communication the outcome to parents | 5 working days from date of test |
6. Assessment Fees
All applicants who are invited for assessment are required to pay a non-refundable assessment fee.
- Dubai International School (DIA)-Emirates Hills: AED 525/-
7. Selection Process
Following assessment the school management will decide upon whether a place is to be offered or not, based upon all of the information from assessment and provided in the application.
The decision taken by the school is final, and all admissions follow the guidelines and regulations set by the KHDA.
Parents / guardians must respond to an offer within 7 days of receipt, in order to secure the place.
Prior to admission a Transfer Certificate (attested where required) is to be submitted.