Most of the expatriate communities from Europe, the US, Canada and the Indian subcontinent have established schools in Abu Dhabi which follow the curriculum of their home countries as well as the IGCSE and International Baccalaureate courses. Some of these schools also prepare their high school students for TOEFL, SAT I and II ACT tests.

The admission procedure is a simple one and requires the submission of the application form along with copies of passports of the child and the parents, passport size photographs, past school records, a transfer certificate and medical history of the child.

The cost of education in Abu Dhabi is fairly steep, and a good number of expats are sending their children back home for schooling, especially in the secondary and higher secondary levels. A year's tuition fees in a privately owned school in Abu Dhabi could range anywhere between Dhs 3000 to Dhs 60,000.

For information on nursery schools in Abu Dhabi click here (PDF file).

Some of the primary and secondary schools in Abu Dhabi following an international curriculum are:

The British School – Al Khubairat www.britishschool.sch.ae

Abu Dhabi International Private School www.ais.sch.ae

Raha International School

German School, Abu Dhabi www.dsad.org

GEMS American Academy www.gemsaa-abudhabi.com

Lycee Louis Massignon www.llm.ae

American Community School acs.sch.ae

The costs of college education in Abu Dhabi compare with those prevailing in the US, and range between Dhs 60,000 to Dhs 150,000.

Abu Dhabi University is the city's leading privately-managed university and has a tie-up with Munich Technical University and the University of Bonn to set up a College of Medicine and Health Sciences in Abu Dhabi.