Secondary school and qualifications

Updated 29 October 2026

Going to university from a British school in the UAE

The two main routes for British-curriculum students in the UAE, UK universities through UCAS and universities in the UAE, and the paperwork each needs.

UK universities: how UCAS works

Students apply to UK undergraduate courses through UCAS during Year 13, before the deadlines below, using the grades their school predicts. Universities decide on offers before the final results come out in August.

UCAS deadlines for 2027 entry

Universities must consider every application received by the deadline equally. They may still consider later applications if they have places. Dates change slightly each year, so check the UCAS dates for your child's year of entry. Your child's school may set an earlier internal deadline so teachers have time to write references.

Predicted grades

UCAS describes a predicted grade as the grade a school believes a student is likely to achieve in positive circumstances. Predictions should be based on evidence of performance and set independently of the universities the student is applying to. Universities use them alongside other information, so Year 12 work and internal exams matter. Ask your school how and when it sets predictions.

Which qualifications UK universities accept

• A levels: Oxford says International A levels from Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OxfordAQA are equivalent to UK A levels grade for grade (it does not accept Cambridge's Global Perspectives and Research or Thinking Skills A levels).
• GCSE/IGCSE: UCL requires GCSE or equivalent passes in English Language and maths at grade 4 or C for every undergraduate programme. Oxford says applicants do not need GCSEs or IGCSEs but should include any they have.

For grades and points, see A level grades and UCAS points.

UAE universities: the equivalency certificate

Universities in the UAE need proof that a British-curriculum certificate is equal to the UAE Grade 12 certificate. The Ministry of Education issues this as an equivalency certificate after Year 13. In short, it needs:

• five approved GCSE/IGCSE subjects at grade E or 3 or above,
• one A level or two AS levels at grade E or above,
• Islamic Studies (Muslim students) and Arabic (students of Arab nationality) taken in the last three years of school.

University of Birmingham Dubai's guidance, based on the Ministry's rules, calls equivalency a mandatory requirement for diploma and bachelor's programmes at universities licensed by the Ministry. Heriot-Watt University Dubai requires it from all applicants and accepts it up to the end of the first semester. Entry grades on top of equivalency are set by each university.

What happened to EmSAT

EmSAT (the Emirates Standardised Test) was used for admission to UAE universities. In November 2024 the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced the immediate cancellation of EmSAT for Grade 12 students, as reported by Gulf News. It is no longer required for admission to government universities, which now set their own admission criteria; for medicine and engineering, school science grades are given priority.

For British-curriculum students, EmSAT was never part of the equivalency requirements. The Ministry's current service page still lists an EmSAT score as one option for American-curriculum students only.