July 24, 2025 | Dubai, UAE: The UAE New Academic Calendar has been announced for all public and private universities for the 2025-2026 academic year. Such a calendar aims at balancing the schools while allowing a flexible schedule for student learning and well-being, also bonding families together. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR), in line with the goals of the “Year of Community,” announced the new academic calendar in Abu Dhabi on 23 July 2025.

UAE New Academic Calendar for 2025-2026

The UAE New Academic Calendar will officially start on 25 August 2025 and end on 3 July 2026; hence, all universities throughout the UAE are expected to abide by these dates, save the international ones, which follow their respective home country calendars. Universities shall have their major holidays spelled out along with the school calendar to allow for family and community life activities to be keyed in. 

The following are the two main breaks during the academic year under the new system:

• The four-week winter break starts on December 8, 2025, and ends on January 4, 2026, giving students a real break through the cold weather.
• Two weeks of spring break occur from March 16 to March 29, 2026, so that, again, students can have another opportunity before the final term.

Institutions may consider adjusting these holiday dates one week earlier or one week later; no reduction of the total holiday time shall be permitted. Such flexibility could allow institutions to arrange the dates according to the particular academic programs offered or the timings of the summer semester.

Benefits and Goals Behind the UAE New Academic Calendar

Having the UAE new academic calendar formulated keeping students’ well-being and family time in mind, the scheduling of universities with that of schools is aimed at helping families better coordinate on holidays and social activities. While speaking on the balanced academic life and community engagement, Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar explained the initiative.

The UAE New Academic Calendar, while keeping a structure, tried to give enough space to aim at:

• Maintaining academic quality by having clear-cut term times and good rest periods.
• Ensuring students’ mental and social health via a good balance between study and breaks.
• Facilitating family bonding by aligning their breaks with school holidays.
• Giving higher learning institutions the ability to respond to the unique needs of some programs with flexible start and end dates.
• Building further ties between higher education and the development of the wider community.

This reform marks a strategic milestone as the development of the UAE’s higher education environment now focuses on integrated policies for academic excellence and student-centered learning.

Henceforth, the new academic calendar shall apply to higher educational institutions in all parts of the UAE from August 2025. A very important switch is being made towards providing university students with a much more agreed-upon, community-focused educational experience.

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