Admission Criteria for Abu Dhabi International School
At Abu Dhabi International School, applications are processed on a first-come-first-serve basis, with preference for applicants listed in the below Priority Admissions section. Admission is only limited by the seats available.
If there are no vacancies in the grade level of the applicant, the applicant will be placed on a waiting list. The school will contact the parents/guardians of the applicants if a seat opens up.
Prior to registration, prospective parents and students are welcome to book an appointment to visit the school facilities.
New applicants to Abu Dhabi International School
- Admission is open for pre-school to Grade 11.
- AIS does not accept applications to Grade 12.
- To graduate from AIS, students must have completed at least Grades 11 and 12 at the school.
Age requirements
Applicants must meet the age requirements for the grade to which they are applying. New applicants must attain a specific age by September 1 of the year for each grade as follows:
- Pre-school: 3 years
- Kindergarten: 4 years
- Prep school: 5 years
- Grade 1: 6 years
Exceptions cannot be made for students whose age is not within the required range, including those coming from abroad.
Inclusivity
- There will be no discrimination on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, color, or creed.
- Students with mild learning difficulty or disability are welcome at AIS and shall be granted admission on the basis of the student application, as well as any further assessments and reports required by the Admissions Committee.
- Students with severe learning difficulty or disability may not be admitted if the school cannot make provisions to meet their needs.
- Students with non-contagious chronic medical conditions (for example, epilepsy, diabetes, asthma) shall not be denied admission unless the school is unable to provide the required support.
- Admission to the Students Support Services Department for students with special needs is granted based on the student application and any further assessments required by the Admissions Committee.
Priority admissions
During admissions, preference will be given to students in the following order of priority:
- Children of AIS faculty members
- Siblings of current AIS students
- Former AIS students
- Children of former AIS students
- All students who meet admission requirements
How to apply to AIS
STEP 1: Complete the Student Application Form
a. For applicant inside the UAE
- Download the MBZ Student Application Form.
- Download the AD Student Application Form.
- Fill in and respond to all items on the form.
- Print a hard copy of the completed form.
b. For applicant outside the UAE
- Download the MBZ Student Application Form.
- Download the AD Student Application Form.
- Fill in and respond to all items on the form.
- Save a soft copy of the completed form.
STEP2: Prepare all required documents
a. For applicants inside the UAE
- Prepare all the required documents listed below.
- Ensure all documents are in English or Arabic. (Report cards and birth certificates in languages other than English or Arabic must be officially translated.)
- Prepare hard copies of all documents.
List of required documents
b. For applicants outside the UAE
- Prepare all the required documents listed below.
- Ensure all documents are in English or Arabic. (Report cards and birth certificates in languges other than English or Arabic must be officially translated.)
- Prepare soft copies of all documents.
List of required documents
STEP 3: Attend meeting with School Registrar
a. For applicants inside the UAE
- You can walk in for a meeting with the School Registrar on:
- – Mondays to Thursdays, 8:00AM – 3:00PM
- – Fridays, 8:00AM – 11:30AM
- Please make sure you bring the completed Student Application Form and all required documents listed above.
b. For applicants outside the UAE
- Email the completed Student Application Form and the required documents prepared to [email protected].
- You will receive a response for the Admissions Office by email to schedule for an online meeting with the School Registrar.
- The Admissions Office will communicate with you to ensure that a convenient time is set for you for the meeting.
STEP 4: Applicant attends an interview/placement test
a. For applicants inside the UAE
- Once the submitted application is verified by the Admissions Office, applicants will be scheduled for a placement test/interview.
- You will receive an email from the Admissions Office stating the date and time of the placement test/interview.
- You are kindly requested to arrive to the placement test/interview on time.
- For cases in which the applicant may require special education services, the applicant and the parents must meet the special education specialists for further assessments and to discuss the special education services required.
b. For applicants outside the UAE
- Once the submitted application is verified by the Admissions Office, applicants will be scheduled for an online placement test/interview.
- You will receive an email from the Admissions Office stating the date and time, and the link for the placement test/interview.
- You are kindly requested to sign into the link for the placement test/interview on time.
- For cases in which the applicant may require special education services, the applicant and the parents must meet the special education specialists for further assessments and to discuss the special education services required.
STEP 5: Enroll your child at AIS
For applicants inside and outside the UAE
- The Admissions Office will email you to inform you of your application status and if any further information is required. You can also contact the Admissions Committee by calling +971 56 5801544.
- Once your placement test/interview results are reviewed and accepted, your will receive a Letter of Acceptance from the Admissions Office.
- If a Letter of Acceptance has been received, enrollment at AIS must be completed within one week from the date of receiving the Letter of Acceptance.
- Enrollment requires in-person document submission and a non- refundable registration fee of AED 1500 to be paid in cash at the Accounts Department. This will be deducted from the tuition fee. Parents who wish to register their child for school bus services, please do so at the time of enrollment.
- You will be reqired to submit additional documents listed below at the time of enrollment and any other documents not submitted at the time of submitting the Student Application Form.
Prepare all documents needed
- Original valid Emirates ID Cards of the applicant, father and mother: to be scanned in the Abu Dhabi Educational Council’s School Information System (eSIS).
- Copy of the applicant’s UAE Residence Visa: if not submitted, at the time of enrollment.
- Copy of the applicant’s valid Emirates ID card: if not submitted, at the time of enrollment.
- Letter of enrollment from the present school for Prep–Grade 11 admissions.
- Applicants accepted at AIS from a public school or a school in another emirates, must submit all of the abovementioned documents, together with the following, latest by August 28 in order to complete their enrollment at AIS:
- If the transfer certificate or report card is issued by a public school or a school in another emirates, the original transfer certificate should be attested from the Ministry of Education.
- If the transfer certificate or school report card is issued in a GCC country, the original transfer certificate should be attested from the Ministry of Education in the issuing country.
- If the transfer certificate or school report card is issued in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or a Western European country, it is required to obtain an official school stamp and signature.
- If the transfer certificate and report card is issued in a country other than those mentioned above, the original transfer certificate must be attested from the UAE Embassy in the issuing country. If there is no UAE embassy in the issuing country, the document must be attested by the issuing country’s embassy in the UAE and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the UAE.
- Application form for school bus services if required
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