There is no single figure. For families paying private school fees in the UAE in the 2026/27 academic year, a simple way to estimate it is to add up the fees for every remaining school year, allow for fees rising over time, take off what you expect to pay from income and anything already set aside, and divide the gap by the months available. For many families the answer is a mix: current fees paid from income, with regular saving for later or overlapping years.
School fees are often the biggest regular bill for expat families in the UAE after housing, and they tend to rise as children move into secondary school. For more on fee levels and planning, see our guide to international school fees in the UAE.
Start with the full cost, not this year's invoice
Most families budget term by term. It can help to look at the whole journey instead:
- list each child and the year group they are in now
- note the current annual fee for each stage, including registration, uniform, transport and trips
- count how many years remain at each stage
Fees often step up between primary, middle and secondary school, and the final years can be the most expensive. Adding everything up gives you a target you can actually plan for.
Allow for fee increases
In Dubai, private school fee increases are regulated by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), with permitted rises linked to its Education Cost Index and each school's inspection rating. In May 2026 Dubai announced that there would be no fee increase at KHDA-licensed private schools for the 2026/27 academic year. In Abu Dhabi, fee increase requests go through the Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), and other emirates have their own arrangements.
A freeze this year does not mean fees will stay flat. When planning several years ahead, it can be sensible to build in a modest annual increase as an assumption, not a forecast.
Work out your monthly figure
Once you know the total, the broad calculation is:
- Total future fees, including your increase allowance.
- Less what you will pay from income each year as fees fall due.
- Less savings already set aside for education.
- Divide the shortfall by the number of months available.
Timing matters as well as the total. If two children overlap at school, the shortfall can be concentrated in the early years, so an even monthly amount may not be enough on its own. Money needed in two years is generally not suited to much investment risk, while money for university in ten years has more time to recover from market falls. Many families keep near-term and long-term pots separate for this reason.
Currency and the end of service gratuity
If you earn in dirhams and pay fees in dirhams, currency risk is limited. If your long-term plan includes UK boarding school or university, part of your saving may need to be in sterling at some point.
Some parents plan to use their end of service gratuity for fees. That may work, but it depends on how long you stay with your employer and whether you remain in the UAE. Relying on it alone can leave a gap if plans change.
Illustrative example only, not a real client. A Dubai family has two children aged 6 and 9, each at a school charging AED 45,000 a year now. Assuming fees rise by 3% a year and both stay to 18 (12 and 9 years remaining), total future fees come to about AED 1,096,000. They can pay AED 60,000 a year from income, AED 720,000 over 12 years, and already have AED 100,000 saved. That leaves a gap of about AED 276,000, or roughly AED 1,900 a month over 144 months before any investment growth. Because both children are at school together in the early years, most of the shortfall falls in the first nine years, so in practice they would need to save more at the start, or plan for a larger lump sum, to keep cash flow positive. This is a nominal illustration, not a forecast.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting only for this year's fees and being caught out by secondary school costs.
- Assuming a fee freeze will last indefinitely.
- Investing money needed in a year or two in assets that can fall sharply.
- Relying entirely on an end of service gratuity that may be smaller or later than expected.
A clear monthly figure can make school fees far less stressful. A regulated financial adviser can help you map out the numbers for your family. Get in touch for a free introduction.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: October 2026. Tax year: 2026/27 (UK); academic year 2026/27 (UAE). Jurisdictions covered: UAE. Rates, legislation and guidance change, so recheck before relying on this. Rules can differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; tax residence is fact-specific; treaty outcomes depend on residence, domicile or nationality provisions; examples are simplified and omit reliefs, costs, exchange rates and anti-avoidance rules. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Take advice in the relevant country before acting.