GEMS World Academy-Dubai is a co-educational international school providing world-class programs and facilities to a culturally diverse student community aged 3 to 18 years old.
GWA-Dubai is an International Baccalaureate World School offering the continuum of IB programs: The Primary Years Program (PYP) in the elementary school (including our Early Childhood department includes the PreK to KG2) and the Middle Years Program (MYP) Career-related (CP) and Diploma Programme (DP) in the secondary school.
The current class sizes and adult to student ratio are as follows, however they are subject to review depending on the requirements of the school and may vary slightly depending on enrollment and subject choice:
All students from Grade 1-9 are required to learn Arabic as per the UAE Ministry of Education by-laws. Classes are differentiated for native and non-native speakers and the programs incorporate the Ministry of Education syllabus within the curriculum. GWA-Dubai believes that an early start in Arabic is beneficial and therefore begins its Arabic instruction a year early in KG2.
As an additional requirement, students who are registered with a passport from one of the Arab countries listed below are required by law to attend Arabic A for native speakers until the end of Grade 12. Students who are not fluent in Arabic and are from an identified Arabic country may take Arabic B after KHDA approval.
UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Mauritania, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Union of the Comoros.
In accordance with the UAE Ministry of Education by-laws, students who are Muslim (as identified on their passport or during the admissions process via the “religion” option) must take Islamic Education from Grade 1 to the end of Grade 12. Students may take Islamic A (in Arabic) or Islamic B (in English) regardless of their nationality based on their Arabic language proficiency. The Islamic A and B courses incorporate the Ministry of Education syllabus for Islamic Education within the curriculum.
Step-by-Step Application Process
Thank you for considering GEMS World Academy-Dubai as the next step in your child’s education. We understand that choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions a parent can make and we value the confidence and trust that families place in GWA-Dubai.
Before beginning the online application process, please refer to the GWA Admissions Guidelines and Overview page which includes important information including the country comparison chart for appropriate grade level placement.
Click here to complete the online application, along with payment of the application fee of AED 525, (inclusive of VAT) per student.
This fee is:
Upload copies of your child’s admissions documents to the final page of your online application. Please note that all submitted documents must be in English. If documents require translation, they must be stamped and signed as official, legal translations.
Once all required documents have been submitted, the school will contact parents to book an onsite assessment. If a student is out of the country and unable to attend an assessment in person, the application is shared with the Head of School for review of the submitted academic records, and a provisional acceptance can potentially be granted in advance of an assessment. If a provisional placement is granted, students are still required to complete an assessment upon arrival, for class placement and teacher allocation purposes.
Please click here for more information about the placement assessment process.
The application is sent to the Head of School for review, with a 24-hour turnaround time
The admissions team will contact you with an update on your child’s admissions verdict. Possible admissions outcomes include the following:
Please note that if a student is granted acceptance, a registration deposit is payable after the student has been offered a place and parents have accepted the offer. The registration deposit is 10% of the total tuition fees, and is deductible from the total tuition fees for the academic year. Please note, this is a non-refundable deposit.
To view our full Admissions Policy please click here.
GEMS World Academy-Dubai admits students according to the Ministry of Education and KHDA’s regulations as well as the GEMS admissions policies. In conjunction with previous school reports, placement assessments are designed to determine a student’s readiness for the GWA program including any language and/or special needs support for which additional fees are charged.
Our assessments are conducted in English, however students who are non-speakers or new to the language are assessed using English as an Additional Language materials (Pre-K to Grade 5 only). Parents are encouraged to make sure that their child is well rested and fed prior to the session as being tired or hungry can adversely affect their assessment.
The assessment process differs by grade level as indicated below:
Pre-K to KG2
Grades 1 – 5
Grades 6 – 12
If your child has recently completed MAP testing in their current school, these results can be used and the onsite GWA assessment can be waived.
In order to secure a student’s continued place at GWA-Dubai for the following academic year, an online re-enrollment form must be completed via Oasis along with a paid Re-registration Deposit of 5% of the school fees by the end of March each academic year. This deposit is non-refundable should a student not take up the confirmed place in September, but is fully adjustable against the first term fees. The deposit may be paid online with a credit card, in person at the school accounts office or via bank wire transfer.
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