Admissions and entrance exams

Updated 29 October 2026

Dubai College entrance exam

How Year 7 entry to Dubai College works, from the school's own admissions pages: what the assessment tests, the yearly timeline, and what else the panel looks at.

What the assessment tests

Dubai College describes its Year 7 entrance assessment as an adaptive online test of about 2 hours, with modules in English, mathematics and non-verbal reasoning. Adaptive means the questions get harder or easier depending on the answers given. The school says the platform and style of questions are very similar to other standard online tests such as CAT4 and the GL Progress Tests, which most children at British schools in Dubai already sit. All equipment is provided, and families are asked to keep the whole day free.

Children registered with an Arab nationality (as on their Emirates ID), or who study Arabic A at primary school and want to continue, also take a 45-minute written Arabic assessment and a spoken Arabic assessment.

The school says it cannot answer individual questions about the assessment, and asks parents not to approach staff for more detail. Its "Audience with the Head" sessions are the place to ask.

What else the admissions panel considers

The panel (the Head, the Deputy Head for pastoral care, and staff from English, maths and pastoral teams) looks at the assessment alongside:

• End of Year 5 school report (end of Grade 4 for children in 12-grade systems such as IB, American or Indian schools), uploaded with the application
• End of Year 5 GL Progress Test results in English, maths and science (PTE, PTM, PTS) for children at school in Dubai, or an equivalent such as MAP
• Most recent CAT4 or other standardised results. If you do not have them yet, you give consent in the application for the school to request them from your child's current school.
• Extra-curricular profile, only on the school's own template, uploaded with the application. It is optional but strongly recommended, and the school says no club or provider gets preferential treatment.
• SEND or medical information. Access arrangements for the assessment may need an educational psychologist report, an IEP or a letter from your child's SENCO.

The yearly timeline

These are the steps for August 2027 entry, which closed in October 2026. The pattern is similar each year, but always check the school's key dates page for the exact dates.

Dubai College lists entry for August 2028 as not yet open. Its admissions page will show when applications open.

How to apply

The online application asks for scanned or digital copies of:

• Emirates ID (front and back) for children at school in the UAE, or passport for children at school overseas
• the end of Year 5 school report
• standardised test results: in Dubai, the latest CAT4 and end of Year 5 GL Progress Tests (or MAP); outside Dubai, the latest CAT4 or other standardised results plus any end of Year 5 results
• the extra-curricular template, if you choose to send one

An application fee and an assessment fee are paid when you apply. For August 2027 entry they came to AED 525 including VAT (AED 100 + VAT to apply, AED 400 + VAT for the assessment). The school confirms receipt within about five working days.

Age of entry

Children should normally apply in the year group that matches their age. For August 2027 entry, Dubai College says an applicant would normally be 11 by 31 August 2027 and finishing Year 6 (or the equivalent grade) in 2026-27. Slightly younger children can also apply if they will be 11 by 31 December 2027 and are finishing Year 6 in 2026-27. Children in Year 6 whose 11th birthday falls after 31 December 2027, and families at schools with a January to December year, should contact the Registrar. For the wider UAE rules, see UAE school age cut-off and year groups.

Places, competition and other entry points

• Year 7 is the main entry point: 176 places for August 2027 (8 forms of 22). Children join from around 35 to 40 primary schools each year, most of them UK-curriculum schools in Dubai. More than four children applied for each place for August 2026.
• Years 8, 9 and 10 have a very limited number of occasional places, depending on leavers. Expressions of interest may open in the spring term. This scheme looks for exceptional academic records plus real achievement in drama, music or sport, and shortlisted candidates take an academic assessment and an interview.
• Year 12 (sixth form) has its own application round in the spring term.
• Years 11 and 13 are not open to new pupils, because GCSE and A level courses run over two years.

Dubai College does not teach English as an additional language, so all applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English.

Other selective Dubai schools

Each school sets its own entry process, so never assume one school's rules apply to another. One published example: Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) says its limited "Open Entry" places for Years 3 to 9 need, as a guide, a mean standardised score of 115+ across English, maths and science progress tests and a CAT4 score of at least 115, plus exceptional talent in academic, creative or sporting areas. See school admissions in Dubai for the general process.