British schools in Dubai: compare fees, entry years and qualifications

Start with the year your child would join. A family looking for FS1 can compare GEMS Founders School in Al Barsha South and Brighton College Dubai. Dubai College begins at Year 7. For a Year 10 or Year 12 transfer, start with the courses your child can actually take. The British curriculum label alone tells you little about whether a school runs their chosen combination or has room in the relevant year.

These three examples cover different decisions. GEMS Founders School Dubai offers a route from Foundation Stage to sixth form at the lowest published tuition in this comparison. Brighton College Dubai also offers all phases, with discounted fees that vary substantially by year group. Dubai College is a selective secondary school with an A Level route and a separate cash requirement when a new pupil accepts a place. All three publish their own admissions and fee information.

Compare the same entry year

The figures are published tuition for 2026–27, checked 6 November 2026. Brighton’s figures include its published tuition discount. The table excludes items such as bus transport, uniform, exam entry and Dubai College’s debenture. Ask for the new academic year’s fees if you’re applying for August 2027.

The judgements shown are from KHDA’s 2023–24 inspection results. KHDA has announced renewed quality assurance visits for 2026–27. Check the date and scope of any newer report you receive. The latest overall judgement can be a starting point for questions about your child’s phase, such as how the school handles a move into secondary or what support is available in the subjects your child will take.

GEMS Founders School Dubai for an all-through route at lower tuition

This is the Al Barsha South campus. GEMS uses the Founders name for other schools, so match the campus name on the application and on every fee document. Its 2026–27 tuition schedule gives term-by-term figures. Year 1 to Year 6 total AED 30,375, Years 7 to 9 total AED 32,624, and Years 10 and 11 total AED 34,875. Years 12 and 13 total AED 37,124. For a child joining in Year 7, the move to the current Year 12 price represents AED 4,500 more in annual tuition at today’s rates. That is a comparison between phases, and future fee schedules can differ.

Availability can be a bigger constraint than tuition. At the time checked, the school’s admissions page says 2026–27 registration is open only for Year 2 on a waiting-list basis. For 2027–28 it publishes an application window from 6 October 2026 to 5 January 2027 for FS1 to Year 10 and Year 12, with waiting-list language for FS2 to Year 10 and Year 12. Check the status for your specific year before assuming the school can make an offer. If you have two children, ask about both places together and decide what you’ll do if one offer arrives first.

The examinations page lists GCSE and International GCSE routes and links to a current exam entry fee booklet. The school’s Key Stage 5 page lists International A Levels and BTECs and publishes an options booklet for the 2026–28 cohort. If you are considering Year 10 or Year 12, ask for the options grid for the cohort your child would join. A subject can appear in the school’s curriculum and still clash with another subject your child needs. If they want a BTEC alongside A Levels, ask the school to identify the qualification level, exact subject and combinations it can timetable.

Before comparing a GEMS Founders invoice with another school, separate tuition from the cost of the required supplies and any examination entries. Ask for the uniform and book list for your child’s year, whether you need to supply a device, and a bus quote for your address if you plan to use transport. An older fact sheet can show the kinds of charges families encounter. The current year’s documents and written quote determine the amount you should set aside.

The 2026–27 GEMS Founders exam fee booklet shows why the option list matters to the budget. It lists AED 309 for AQA GCSE Computer Science and AED 549 for Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Geography. Those are examples for specific qualifications. They don’t give a total for your child’s exams. Ask the exams office for an itemised estimate based on the subjects and units your child would enter, and check when payments fall due. A family moving during an A Level course should also ask whether the new school can carry forward any existing unit results.

The school’s Instagram account shared a post on its Sustainability Council attending a conference. It gives an example of an activity beyond lessons. If that interests your child, ask how pupils get involved and whether it’s open to their year.

Brighton College Dubai for an all-through option with year-specific discounts

Brighton’s KHDA directory entry lists FS1 through Year 13. Its admissions FAQ says it takes registrations for FS1 through Year 12 subject to availability. Those two ranges answer different questions. A school can teach Year 13 and still direct new sixth-form applicants to Year 12, the start of the two-year course. If you’re arriving during an exam programme, ask admissions to confirm the entry year and course fit before you apply.

On the 2026–27 fee page, the approved Year 7 figure is AED 100,298 and the school’s published discounted tuition is AED 90,170. At Year 12 those figures are AED 117,933 and AED 107,858. Ask which price will appear on your invoice and whether any discount continues beyond the published year. The same page lists discounted Year 13 tuition at AED 111,062, so even the two sixth-form years have different published amounts. If you’re budgeting for more than one child, ask whether another discount applies to the amount actually charged and whether discounts can be combined.

The same fee schedule lists discounted Year 6 tuition at AED 79,485 and Year 7 at AED 90,170. That’s a difference of AED 10,685 between those two year groups on the current schedule. If your child is still in primary, compare the next phase as well as the entry year. The jump can matter to a family that expects to stay on one campus. Ask when the school will publish fees for the academic year you are applying for, since the 2026–27 discount only tells you what the school currently advertises.

In the Senior School, Years 7 to 9 precede GCSE study in Years 10 and 11. Brighton describes a core that includes English, maths and sciences, with optional subjects in areas such as languages, humanities and creative disciplines. The sixth-form page describes A Levels and BTECs. It says pupils typically start Year 12 with four subjects and narrow to three. If your child wants to keep four or combine qualifications, ask about entry grades and the timetable before using the general pattern to plan their choices.

For a younger pupil, use the admissions process to check what information the school needs at that entry point. Ask how the daily routine changes between phases, especially if you need to collect siblings at different times. If English is an additional language, the school says it may ask for a separate assessment. Ask how the assessment works for the child’s year and whether the support they need is included or priced separately. Brighton College Dubai on Instagram shared a drawing masterclass for pupils in Years 11 to 13. It’s one example of enrichment for older pupils.

Dubai College for a selective Year 7 or Year 12 application

Dubai College admissions describes a selective secondary school in Al Sufouh, with Year 7 as its main intake. It says applications for August 2027 Year 7 entry have closed and that Year 12 applications are expected to open in Term 2. Occasional places for Years 8, 9 and 10 depend on forecast availability. The school also says it does not consider applications for Years 11 and 13 because of the two-year exam courses. This is especially important if a relocation date falls between the start and end of a qualification.

The Dubai College curriculum sets out a broad lower-secondary programme, GCSE study and A Levels. Its external Year 12 entry page says the school normally expects at least six subjects at grade 7, including English and maths, with higher grades expected for some choices. The school has a separate options booklet for subject-specific requirements. Ask for the August 2027 options once published and check whether your child’s proposed combination fits. If your child is joining from another curriculum, send the school the transcript and current courses early enough for it to assess equivalence.

Dubai College lists AED 97,415 for Years 7–11 and AED 110,305 for Years 12–13 in its 2026–27 fee schedule. It also requires a personal debenture of AED 30,000 for new pupils in that year, due on accepting a place unless another arrangement is agreed. The school says it intends to return the debenture when the student leaves, less sums owed. A new Year 7 family should therefore distinguish AED 97,415 in tuition from AED 127,415 in tuition plus debenture cash outlay, before other charges. The first term’s published Year 7 tuition instalment is AED 38,966, so the debenture and first instalment together come to AED 68,966 if both are due in full.

The school also publishes bus prices of AED 2,500 per term for both ways and AED 1,320 per term one way. Ask whether your stop is served and get the payment dates on the same calendar as the tuition instalments. If an employer pays education expenses, ask whether its policy covers the debenture, who would fund it and who receives the repayment. Dubai College on Instagram shared a GCSE geography fieldwork reel. Ask the school which trips are required and which are optional for the courses your child is considering.

What to ask for before accepting an offer

If you’re comparing FS1 or primary places, put the daily routine first. Check start and finish times, how pickup works and what the school expects children to bring. If you already know the trip to school will be difficult, test it on a normal morning before a tour. For siblings, put both timetables on the same page and check whether the published transport offer fits both schedules.

For a Year 7 move, look at the subjects every pupil studies and how the school helps children settle in from a different primary school. For Year 10, ask for the actual GCSE or International GCSE subjects, examination boards and options grid. If your child has already started a course, bring its specification and examples of completed work. Two schools can offer the same subject name and teach it in a different sequence or use a different board.

For Year 12, put your child’s proposed subjects and any backup choices in one email. Ask which combinations are possible, the required grades for each and whether an offer is conditional on results. If your child has a university course in mind, check the university’s own requirements for subjects and qualifications. Then ask the school whether it can deliver that combination for the relevant cohort.

For the budget, ask for two figures. One is the recurring cost for the school year, including the services you expect to use. The other is the cash due by the first day. Put any credit against tuition next to the instalment it reduces. Keep refundable sums separate so you can see both the upfront cost and the likely amount spent over the year. If the fees are for 2026–27 and the offer is for August 2027, request the applicable schedule before signing.

Finally, make sure the admissions answer matches what you’ve budgeted for. Ask whether you are applying for an assessment, joining a waiting list or accepting a confirmed place. If a place depends on final grades, keep the conditions beside the fee schedule so you can see which sums are due before the results arrive. If you’re moving with siblings, ask when the school expects to make a decision for each child. Different deadlines can affect whether you can accept both places together.

Frequently asked questions

Can a British school offer BTECs alongside A Levels?

Yes. GEMS Founders and Brighton publish both in their sixth-form information. Ask for the exact BTEC qualification, how it’s assessed and whether the combination fits your child’s timetable and intended next step.

Is the fee in the table the full first-year cost?

It is the published tuition for the year shown. Uniform, exam entries, transport and other services can be separate. Dubai College also lists a debenture for new entrants, so its initial cash requirement is higher than tuition alone.

Can my child join directly in Year 11 or Year 13?

Ask the school before applying. Dubai College explicitly rules out entry in those years. Where a school considers a transfer, the existing exam boards, completed coursework and subject combinations are important to whether it can offer a place.