Fees of some Dubai private schools exceed Oxford’s school of medicine

The tuition fees of a 12th grader in some private schools in Dubai can exceed the cost of attending a first year study at the University of Oxford Faculty of Medicine.

This is according to a report published by Emarat Al Youm, showing that 27 private schools in Dubai charge a range between 80,000 to 130,000 AED ($21,780- $35,392), while a study released by HSBC recently revealed that UAE school fees are the highest in the world after Hong Kong.

According to the Emirati newspaper, the comparison between the fees of some private schools in Dubai and the fees of studying medicine in a number of international universities shows that the school fees are significantly higher.

The school fees for 12 graders in these top private schools amount up to 130,000 AED (about $35,000) and thus surpass the fees for the study for a year at the University of California-Los Angeles ($28,000), according to the websites of the schools of medicine at some US universities, including the University of Los Angeles, which is ranked among the top 10 universities worldwide.

The Dubai-based private schools report, issued by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), recently revealed that schools with a tuition fee of between 80,000-130,000 AED teach three curriculums - the British, American and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Some parents have confirmed that the tuition fees sometimes do not match the quality of the expected quality of education.

They explained that they resort to private tutoring to support their children and that many schools demand additional fees for extra-curricular activities, health insurance, registration fees, and other services.