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

3 min readFeb 24, 2026 06:13 PM IST

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry 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 Pakistani 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.