Dubai Schools Fee Shock: No Refunds for Online Classes, KHDA Clarifies New April 2026 Rules

Dubai’s education regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), has released a new advisory on tuition fee and refund rules for private schools in the emirate during April 2026. The development comes after the emirate and wider UAE staged a period of distance learning that has left parents with many questions about the situation around fee payments and potential refunds. The new advisory clarifies who should be paying fees, why fees are paid even when classes are held online, and when a refund may or may not be due. It also explains why schools can retain fees in most situations where learning is happening remotely. The new advisory is intended to help parents and schools better understand their rights, responsibilities and options as normal classroom learning is being combined with hybrid models of learning.

No Fee Reduction for Online Classes, Says KHDA

The advisory, published in April 2026, says that schools are not obliged to lower or refund tuition fees simply because classes were delivered online, rather than in person. According to the KHDA, tuition fees are still payable as long as an educational value was provided, whether remotely or in person. It said that if parents opted out of the distance learning programme, this did not give them the right to defer or reduce tuition fees. 

Rules for Opting Out and Hybrid Learning Options

Parents will still have the option of continuing remote learning alongside in-person sessions, if the school chooses to offer a hybrid or rotational model. However, schools were instructed that if parents opt out of distance learning, they must formally withdraw the child and clear all outstanding fees. 

Complaint Process for Online Learning Quality

The KHDA also said that parents could bring complaints about the quality of the online programme to the school’s own complaints system. However, schools were instructed that tuition fees must continue to be paid while any complaint is being processed.

KHDA Refund Policy: When Are Refunds Allowed?

For refunds, the KHDA clarifies that schools can keep the fees for the period the educational services were provided and rendered. However, a refund can be applied only if a school is unable to render its services. The school and parents can agree in writing on the method of refund. 

Refund Options for Parents Explained

The refund can be given in the form of a credit note for any future fees if the child is still enrolled, can be transferred to a sibling who is studying at the same school, or can be refunded in full for the period the educational services were not rendered.

Tuition Fee Rules During Shutdowns

It also added that tuition fees are payable by parents for each day the school provides its services. Fees are not payable from the day services stop. Even during a government-mandated shutdown, schools can still continue to manage re-registrations and collect deposits for the next academic year online or remotely.