The UAE has announced the new academic calendar for all public and private higher education institutions for the academic year 2025-2026 on Wednesday, July 23.
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) introduced key changes to end-of-term holidays to create a more flexible and consistent academic calendar across UAE-based universities.
The announcement comes after the UAE Ministry of Education released a new structure for the academic calendar for schools starting from 2025–2026.
Under the new structure, the university academic year will start on August 25, 2025, with major holidays aligning with the school calendar.
These include a four-week winter break from December 8, 2025, to January 4, 2026, with classes resuming on January 5, 2026, as well as a two-week spring break from March 16 to 29, 2026, with classes resuming on March 30, 2026.
The academic year will end on July 3, 2025, offering a clearer and more balanced schedule that supports students’ learning and wellbeing.
All UAE-based higher education institutions have been mandated to follow a unified academic year start and end date, with exceptions for international universities aligned with their home calendars.
The mandate also allows flexibility in determining the start date of the academic year in line with the requirements of academic programmes and specialisations at higher education institutions, as well as flexibility in setting the end date of the academic year based on the timing of the summer semesters.
This also allows for flexibility to adjust the holiday dates by up to one week before or after the specified dates, provided the holiday duration remains unchanged.
Aligned with the ‘Year of Community’ objectives, the structure aims to foster family cohesion and support students through a balanced distribution of study and break periods.
© Khaleej Times
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