UAE announces three-year academic calendar for schools and universities from 2026: Check details | World News

3 min readFeb 24, 2026 06:13 PM The Minry of Education and the Minry of Higher Education and Scientific Research have unveiled a unified three-year academic calendar covering 2026-2027, 2027-2028 and 2028-2029, bringing long-term clarity for students, parents, schools and universities across the UAE.
According to officials, the move strengthens system-wide readiness, improves resource management and allows institutions to plan academic and extracurricular activities well in advance.
Schools: Key dates for 2026–2029
Academic year 2026–2027

Start: August 31, 2026
End: July 2, 2027
Mid-term break (semester 1): October 12–18, 2026
Winter break: December 14, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Spring break: April 5–11, 2027

Academic year 2027–2028

Start: August 30, 2027
End: June 30, 2028
Mid-term break (semester 1): October 11–17, 2027
Winter break: December 13, 2027 – January 2, 2028
Spring break: March 27 – April 2, 2028

Academic year 2028–2029

Start: August 28, 2028
End: June 29, 2029
Mid-term break (semester 1): October 16–22, 2028
Winter break: December 11, 2028 – January 1, 2029
Spring break: March 29 – April 1, 2029

What schools must follow

All schools must adhere to the approved calendar.
Final assessments or curriculum completion must take place in the last week of term (except for students sitting international exams).
Private schools not following the MoE curriculum may split the October mid-term break (max five school days).
The exception: Private schools in Sharjah will continue under the emirate’s regulatory framework.
The calendar does not apply to schools following alternative curricula such as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakani systems.

Universities: Unified calendar for higher education
One day after the school announcement, the MoHESR confirmed a standardised calendar for federal and private universities nationwide,
The move aligns semester timelines and holiday periods, while allowing international branch campuses to follow their parent universities abroad.
Higher education key dates
2026–2027

Start: August 31, 2026
Winter break: December 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027
Spring break: April 5–9, 2027
Summer semester: May 24 – July 2, 2027
End: July 2, 2027

2027–2028

Start: August 30, 2027
Winter break: December 20–31, 2027
Spring break: March 27–31, 2028
Summer semester: May 22 – June 30, 2028
End: June 30, 2028

2028–2029

Start: August 28, 2028
Winter break: December 18–29, 2028
Spring break: March 26–30, 2029
Summer semester: May 21 – June 29, 2029
End: June 29, 2029

Teaching weeks
Each academic year will include:

16 teaching weeks (semester 1)
17 teaching weeks (semester 2)
6 teaching weeks (summer semester)
Official holidays and breaks are excluded from the total teaching weeks.

Why this matters
For students and families, the most noticeable change is predictable winter breaks stretching into the New Year, making travel planning easier.
For university students, clearer semester boundaries help in:

Planning internships.
Scheduling overseas exchanges.
Managing professional certifications.
Organising graduation timelines.

Authorities said the unified structure creates a more balanced and stable academic ecosystem, enhancing quality and long-term planning across the UAE’s education sector.
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