The UAE Ministry of Education has issued new regulations on student transfers between academic streams, requiring all moves for the 2026–2027 school year to be completed within the first two weeks of term.
The ministry said the rules are intended to place students in programmes that match their abilities while protecting educational quality and stability.
The transfer process will involve academic eligibility assessments, counselling sessions with students and parents, formal admission requirements and official approvals, followed by performance monitoring once a student has moved.
Students in the advanced stream may transfer voluntarily to the general stream at specified grade levels. Movement in the other direction is more restricted: only students in Grades 8 and 9 who scored at least 80 per cent in English, mathematics and science in the prior academic year are eligible to transfer from the general stream into the advanced stream.
Students in Grades 10 and 11 in the general stream are barred from moving into the advanced stream, given the academic requirements at that stage. Transfers from the applied stream to the general stream are not permitted under any circumstances.
The ministry urged schools to ensure transfer decisions are taken in consultation with students, parents and academic advisers, and stressed that ongoing support after a transfer is essential to student success in a new academic pathway.
