🎓 Admissions

We are now accepting applications for the school year. GEMS Dubai American Academy offers an enriched American curriculum with an international perspective for students from KG1 through Grade 12. Graduates earn an accredited American diploma, and have the option of earning the IB Diploma or certificate. The curriculum is based on IB and American standards. Applications to GEMS Dubai American Academy can be made via the Apply Now link which can be accessed on our website. After an enquiry is submitted, an acknowledgement will be sent containing the next steps of the registration process. Our DAA Admission Team will be happy to assist you through the admission process, enrollment and classroom scheduling. Parents can meet our team from 7:30am to 4:00pm, Monday to Thursday and 7:30am to 12:00pm on Friday. You may contact the Admissions Office directly: Main DAA Phone : +971 04 704 9777 Email: [email protected] Age Requirements & Grade Placement Begin your child's journey GEMS Dubai American Academy follows the KHDA age requirement for students entering KG1 - Grade 1*. A student must be 4 years of age by August 31st of the academic year to be eligible for our KG1 program. All other students must have turned the age listed next to the grade level for the Academic Year and have a corresponding Transfer Certificate. To assist those coming from a non-American curriculum, please refer to the table below as a guideline for which grade to apply to. Further clarification will be done by the Admission team, and educational governing body. *Applicable for all new KG – Grade 1 students enrolling from September. Comparison of Ages & Names Across Different Curriculums   Dubai American Academy North America England Australia/ NZ South Africa Singapore France Entry Age by August 31st Grade Grade Year Year Year Year Class 3 years old __ -- FS1 (Nursery) -- -- Pre-School PS 4 years old KG1* PreK FS2 (Reception) KG -- Pre-School MS 5 years old KG2* KG 1 Prep Reception Pre-School GS 6 years old 1* 1 2 1 1 P1 CP 7 years old 2 2 3 2 2 P2 CE1 8 years old 3 3 4 3 3 P3 CE2 9 years old 4 4 5 4 4 P4 CM1 10 years old 5 5 6 5 5 P5 CM2 11 years old 6 6 7 6 6 P6 Sixieme 12 years old 7 7 8 7 7 S1 Cinquieme 13 years old 8 8 9 8 8 S2 Quatrieme 14 years old 9 9 10 9 9 S3 Triosieme 15 years old 10 10 11 10 10 S4 Seconde 16 years old 11 11 12 11 11   Premiere 17 years old 12 12 13 12 12   Terminale Admissions Process How to begin your child's journey... Step 1 To begin the application process, please submit your enquiry through the Online Student Enquiry and Registration page. Step 2 Once you have completed the online application, you will receive an Enquiry number. Please keep it for your records as reference for all future correspondence and queries. Without the Enquiry Number, we cannot verify your Enquiry submission. An acknowledgement email containing the next steps will be sent to the email address you provided. Step 3 After receiving the acknowledgement email containing your enquiry number, you will be requested to pay a Application Fee of AED525. This fee is non-refundable, non-transferrable, and non-deductible. You will also be requested to upload documents in order to proceed with the registration process. Application fees are accepted in the form of AED cheques, cash or bank transfer. Supporting Documents The supporting documents that are required when a registration is submitted are: Sponsor's Emirates ID Applicant's Photo Parent's (sponsor) Visa Parent's (sponsor) Passport Applicant recent school/nursery report (at least two years if applicable) Applicant's Visa Applicant's passport Applicant's immunization *The UAE Residence Visa and Transfer Certificate are not needed at application processing time, but will be needed at actual enrollment. These are required documents for the registration of the child by the Ministry of Education in Dubai. Without the above listed documents the entry process for your child cannot be completed. Please ensure that all relevant information regarding your child is included with the online Registration Form: Information regarding allergies, special medical conditions, etc. Up to date contact details, and emergency telephone numbers for both parents. Please also check that your child has received all necessary vaccinations; consult your physician, if in doubt Transfer Certificates Transfer from a school outside of Dubai Students transferring from a school outside of Dubai require an original hard copy Transfer Certificate. This should be obtained from your child's current school and submitted to our admissions office. This link to our Transfer Certificate Guidelines will assist you with this process. We have also linked here a Sample Transfer Certificate for reference. Please be aware of the attestation rules for schools located in the identified countries. Transfer from a school within Dubai The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) requires a system generated Transfer Certificate to register students at a new school in Dubai. If you have not done so already, please inform your current school of your intentions to withdraw. For those joining Dubai American Academy from another school within Dubai, please obtain a TC from your child’s current school in order to complete the registration process at Dubai American Academy. Please bring the Transfer Certificate to School along with the parent and child(ren’s) EIDs before the first day of school. In the absence of a transfer certificate, we are unable to properly register your child. Entry Criteria GEMS Dubai American Academy prides itself on an admission policy that does not discriminate against any child or family. All children are welcome to apply to GEMS Dubai American Academy, regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion. GEMS Dubai American Academy is a truly international institution which has limited spaces for children with special learning needs. GEMS Dubai American Academy offers a high standard US/IB education to a range of students with varying learning needs and requirements. Teachers are expected to teach each student as an individual and meet their learning needs accordingly. For this reason, prospective students are required to undergo assessment tests before a place can be offered. Wherever possible, the student will be offered a place within 48 hours of the assessment. The offer letter is sent to the parents by email and will include detailed information on how to accept the offer and pay entry fees. Throughout this process, the family is guided every step of the way by our friendly and efficient Registration Team. Assessment tests include: KG1 and KG2 All students must meet the age level requirements, meet academic grade level requirements, listen to and follow directions, and display classroom readiness. They must also conduct themselves in a respectful manner throughout the assessment. For KG1 admission, children are assessed and observed in groups of four to eight. Five main criteria are considered for successful entrance into the program: Children must be age appropriate for requested grade level; Be able to separate from their caregiver and demonstrate a readiness to participate in the classroom; Be bathroom independent; Be able to engage in an activity following direction; Be able to demonstrate fine and gross motor skill development at age appropriate level. For KG2 admission, the children are assessed individually. The following are the main criteria for consideration into the KG2 program: Be age appropriate for requested grade level Be able to engage in an activity following directions Be able to demonstrate fine and gross motor skill development at age appropriate level Be able to identify colors Be able to identify numbers one to twenty and write one to twenty Demonstrate early reading skills Recognize letters of the alphabet with appropriate sounds Grades 1 -12 GEMS Dubai American Academy employs a holistic approach to the process of evaluating students for entrance into the middle and high school. The evaluation process includes a review of the student's application, past school records and Dubai American Academy entrance assessments. The MAP assessment is administered to all students. This is a computer-based testing system built on 30 years of research and refinement. Basic skills of Math, Reading, and Language are assessed. the MAP assessment test is self-regulating and adapts to the child in real-time, as the test progresses for a pinpoint picture of learning, achievement, and readiness. The MAP assessment is administered to all students seeking placement from grades 1 - 12. If the student is overseas at the time of the application, we can arrange the assessment with their current school. If your child has recently taken a MAP assessment, please upload the reports along with the school grade reports as this may serve to expedite the admissions process. For more information about assessment or requirements for entry, please call 04 704 9777. Withdrawal Process If you intend to withdraw your child from DAA please follow the below process: 1. Log In Through GEMS Portal or GEMS Connect APP Please complete the online transfer through GEMS Parent Portal or the GEMS Connect APP using your GEMS parent username and password. If you continue to have difficulty with logging in, and require a password reset, please email [email protected] to request a reset of your password. 2. Clear All Accounts During the last two weeks prior to your child’s withdrawal from school, please ensure that all accounts are clear. This means returning all library and text books, returning the family passes, returning any IT equipment or musical instruments and ensuring outstanding fees are cleared in all departments. Please note, that we will not be able to issue a withdrawal package unless all accounts are cleared. If you have questions about what remains outstanding, please contact [email protected]. 3. Request a Transfer Certificate (if applicable) Transfer Certificates (TC) are now issued from KHDA. If your subsequent school is requesting an attested Transfer Certificate please contact our Government Relations Executive: Soheir Mohamed [email protected] A payment of AED 126 is required to issue an attested TC. The payment can be made by visiting our accounts department and presenting our GRE with a proof of payment. Please note that the attested TC from KHDA will take 2-3 working days to process. Changes to the KHDA Registration There are new KHDA guidelines in place that now require all students who are moving to another school within Dubai to obtain a transfer certificate (TC) from their current school in order to complete the registration process in their new school. For those leaving Dubai American Academy, please ensure that you have requested this TC from our Government Relations Office. There is a AED 126 fee that must be paid at accounts and proof of payment must be submitted to our Government Relations Executive Soheir Mohamed. Ms. Mohamed will notify you once the leaving certificate is ready for collection. In order to ensure that we process and issue your Transfer Certificate and there are no undue delays, kindly ensure that you clear all outstanding accounts with the school. For further questions regarding the transfer certificate process, kindly contact Soheir Mohamed at [email protected] 4. Transfer Documentation Documents will only be prepared on request. If you are in need of any transfer documentation, please inform the Admissions Office of your requested documents 2 weeks in advance. If the student account has been cleared, the transfer documentation will be available on the last date of attendance. You are welcome to collect these documents from the Registrar’s office on between 8:30am-4:30pm during regular working days. Please understand that we will not be able to release any documentation prior to the last date of attendance. TRANSFER PROCESS If you know that you will be moving abroad before the documentation is expected to be available, please make arrangement either for someone to collect these documents on your behalf OR visit our accounts office to pre-arrange for an Aramex envelope at a cost of 126AED. Please send an email to [email protected] attaching your receipt and delivery address. Once the documents are available, we will ship the envelope and send you an email with your tracking number. For further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact our Admissions office at [email protected]. Admissions inquiry: 📧 Contact Email: school@apofiz.com 🌐 Submit online: https://www.edarabia.com/admission/?id=536&ins=dubai-american-academy... more