UAE sets two-week deadline for students to switch academic streams in new school year

Dubai: The Ministry of Education has introduced new regulations governing student transfers between academic streams, requiring all transfers for the 2026-2027 academic year to be completed within the first two weeks of the school year.

The ministry said the measures are designed to ensure students are placed in the academic stream best suited to their abilities while maintaining the quality of educational outcomes and the stability of the learning process.

Under the new framework, transfers will be subject to academic eligibility assessments, counselling for students and parents, admission requirements and official approvals, followed by ongoing monitoring of students' performance after the transfer.

Students in the advanced stream may transfer voluntarily to the general stream at specified grade levels, while transfers from the general to the advanced stream will be permitted only for eligible students in Grades 8 and 9 who achieved at least 80 per cent in English, mathematics and science in the previous academic year.

The ministry said transfers from the applied stream to the general stream would not be permitted, while students in Grades 10 and 11 in the general stream would not be eligible to move into the advanced stream because of academic requirements.

The ministry urged schools to ensure transfer decisions are made in consultation with students, parents and academic advisers, stressing that continued support and monitoring are essential to helping students succeed in their new academic pathway.