What ADEK and KHDA expect a UAE private school website to show: approved fees, the stamped fee schedule, policies in Arabic and English and inspection reports.
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Drafted with AI tools; researched, edited and approved by Althameem Ali. Our editorial policy
On this page · 11 sections
- Which UAE regulators set rules that reach a school's website?
- What does ADEK's marketing policy ask of an Abu Dhabi school website?
- How must Abu Dhabi schools show their fees online?
- Which documents does ADEK's digital policy want on the website?
- What is Dubai's School Fees Fact Sheet, and where should it appear?
- Does a Dubai school need KHDA approval for its marketing?
- How should admissions forms handle children's data?
- Can a school use a .sch.ae domain?
- How do these rules map onto a real page layout?
- What does a compliant school website cost?
- Where should a school start?
This is our reading of the regulators' own documents on 28 October 2026, not legal advice: policies and circulars change, so confirm the current version with the regulator or a lawyer before a live site goes up. Nothing here describes any real school's compliance.
Which UAE regulators set rules that reach a school's website?#
Each emirate's education regulator sets its own rules, with federal law underneath. This post covers Abu Dhabi and Dubai only.
What does ADEK's marketing policy ask of an Abu Dhabi school website?#
ADEK's School Policy on Marketing (opens in a new tab) (ADEK, version 1.1, September 2024, read 28 October 2026) defines "school marketing material" to include "school websites", alongside the prospectus, adverts and social media profiles, so all of it applies to the site. It took effect in AY 2024/25, with full compliance expected from AY 2025/26. The lines that matter most:
- Name and registration number. Section 2.1 asks materials to "indicate the school's name and registration number". We put both in the footer of every page.
- No fine print that contradicts the headline. Section 2.1 also asks materials to be clear, without "disclaimers and asterisked or footnoted information contradicting the more prominent aspects of the message".
- Accurate depictions. Nothing misleading "in depictions of school facilities, curriculum, and assessment results", so no stock photos of someone else's campus.
- No false ADEK endorsement, and no ADEK logo without approval. Section 1.2 says schools "shall not falsely claim ADEK endorsement" and "shall obtain approval for the usage of the ADEK logo".
- Copyright. Materials must follow Federal Decree Law No. 38 of 2021 on copyright, so check the rights to every photo, font and video.
The policy makes owners and the governing board responsible, so website sign-off belongs with them, not the agency.
How must Abu Dhabi schools show their fees online?#
ADEK's School Fees Policy (opens in a new tab) (ADEK, version 1.1, September 2024, read 28 October 2026) is the most specific about the website, on the same timetable.
One more line changes the admissions form. Section 5.2.1 says schools "shall not request or accept deposits, application fees, or first-time enrollment fees" before a student is enrolled, and registration fees (capped at 5% of tuition) come only from enrolled students. So an Abu Dhabi application form takes no payment on submit.
Which documents does ADEK's digital policy want on the website?#
ADEK's School Policy on Digital (opens in a new tab) (ADEK, version 1.1, September 2024, read 28 October 2026) has two lists. Section 1.1 asks for seven documents on the school website "in both Arabic and English or their language of instruction": a five-year digital strategy, responsible usage policies, a framework for choosing IT providers, the data and cybersecurity infrastructure, a cybersecurity incident response plan, a data protection plan and policy, and digital media and social media policies.
Section 8.5 sets the website's minimum content: contact information, the school's services, fees "including transportation fees and fees for optional activities", inspection reports, aggregate student achievement data or individual achievements such as awards, "with consent", public versions of the annual report and the policies relevant to parents and students.
For the build, that means a policies library with one stable address and a publication date per document, in both languages. Our guide to Arabic and English website design covers keeping the Arabic side equal.
What is Dubai's School Fees Fact Sheet, and where should it appear?#
KHDA's School Fees Fact Sheet FAQs (opens in a new tab) (KHDA, read 28 October 2026) describe it as "a one-page reference that includes all mandatory and optional fees that a school may charge during an academic year". Every private school in Dubai has one before each year, inside the parent contract and in the KHDA directory, and "each school will also post its own fact sheet to its website". It is valid for one academic year, with a QR code to verify it. Gulf News (opens in a new tab) (Zainab Husain, updated 11 August 2025, read 28 October 2026) reports that KHDA introduced it in June 2022 as a mandatory document.
We treat the sheet as the source of truth: the current year's file sits on the fees page, named with its academic year and swapped the day a new one arrives, and any fee table on the page matches it exactly.
Does a Dubai school need KHDA approval for its marketing?#
For some of it, yes. KHDA's service page, Approve Advertising for a Private School (opens in a new tab) (KHDA, page updated 3 July 2026, read 28 October 2026), "enables private schools to request KHDA approval for publishing specific advertising or marketing materials". The fee is AED 120, the stated completion time three working days, and an approval lasts three months. All materials must follow KHDA's Advertisement and Marketing Materials Guidelines.
The page doesn't say whether website pages count, so we don't tell a Dubai school either way. We plan for it instead, leaving room in the campaign calendar for KHDA's review, and for a fresh approval when three months run out, on adverts and campaign pages.
How should admissions forms handle children's data?#
Enquiry, tour and application forms collect a parent's details and often a child's. The UAE government portal's page on data protection laws (opens in a new tab) (u.ae, updated 4 December 2025, read 28 October 2026) says the PDPL "prohibits the processing of personal data without the consent of its owner", with some exceptions, and gives people the right to correct their data and to limit or stop its processing.
ADEK's digital policy adds, for Abu Dhabi, consent that is "freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous" and can be withdrawn, and written parental consent before publishing content involving students. So our forms ask only what the next step needs (a tour request needs a name, email, phone and year group), carry an unticked consent box linked to the privacy notice, and send submissions to the school's own inbox, never an agency account.
Can a school use a .sch.ae domain?#
Possibly, with more paperwork. A Morgan Lewis guide to UAE domains (opens in a new tab) (Morgan Lewis, October 2022, read 28 October 2026) lists sch.ae among the "Restricted Zones": extra eligibility rules apply and registration goes through an accredited registrar based in the UAE. Ask the registrar what proof it needs before planning a launch around the name, and register any domain in the school's own name.
How do these rules map onto a real page layout?#
Our worked example is Lanternfield International School, a concept build: a working homepage we built for a fictional British-style school in Abu Dhabi. It is not a client and proves no results; it shows where each policy line can sit.
The interface design carries over to any school; Corvale College Dubai, another concept build, applies it to a college with a fee estimator in AED. For getting families to the site, see digital marketing for schools and SEO for educational institutions.
What does a compliant school website cost?#
On our price list, a custom business website of up to 8 pages is from AED 8,000 (AED 500 for each extra page), a Next.js site with a content system of up to 15 pages is from AED 15,000, and the website care plan is from AED 500 a month, billed yearly. All our prices are before GST (18%) in India and before VAT where it applies in the Gulf. A bilingual policies library with a fee calculator is likely to start at the Next.js tier. We work from Calicut, Kerala, and serve UAE schools remotely, with no office in the Gulf.
Where should a school start?#
With an audit: list every line above, mark where your site shows it and name who owns each document. The gaps we check first are dull ones, such as last year's fee schedule or a policy only in English, and quick to fix once someone owns them.
If you want a second pair of eyes, send us your site and your emirate. We will map it against these lines and send back a page plan and a fixed quote in dirhams. Start on our school website design page or our UAE website development page, or read how we build websites first.
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Written by
Co-founder, Marketlube
Althameem Ali researched, edited and approved this post. Marketlube is a growth partner in Calicut building brands, websites, CRMs and campaigns for businesses across Kerala, India and the Gulf.
