“Higher Education and Scientific Research declares a new structure for university academic evaluation

In a step that embodies the common concern to develop the educational system and enhance its integration, and with the adoption of the Education and Human Development Council, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced the adoption of a new structure for university academic evaluation as of the academic year 2025-2026, including all governmental and private higher education institutions in the UAE.

The new structure aims to establish a more flexible and consistent model in organizing the university year, by making fundamental amendments to the time schedules of vacations, ensuring their unification at the state level. This update comes in the context of the national efforts to achieve the “general community” targets, by providing a balanced educational environment that enhances family cohesion, and supports students and their families through a fair distribution of periods of study and rest through the academic year.

Commenting on the decision, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al -Awar, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, stressed that the adoption of the new structure for academic evaluation reflects the commitment of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to provide an integrated educational environment in line with the needs of the university student, through a more balanced distribution of periods of study and leave, in order to enhance the quality of academic life and contribute to improving performance and scientific attachment.

He added: “This step is part of our continuous efforts to raise the efficiency of the higher education system in the country, by developing policies in line with the targets of community development and responds to the needs of students and their families in a way that supports mental and psychological stability for students, and gives them space for community participation and self -development.”

According to the decision, the new academic year for universities is launched on August 25, 2025, with the main leave of universities with schools. The leaves of the four -week winter holidays include from December 8, 2025 to January 4, 2026, with the study to be resumed on January 5, 2026. The spring vacation that lasts two weeks includes from 16 to 29 March 2026, and the study will be resumed on March 30 of the same year.

The academic year will be completed on July 3, 2026, within a more balanced and clear educational system in the distribution of holidays, in a way that contributes to promoting knowledge accumulation among students, and supports their psychological and mental health. All institutions of higher education in the country are also committed to the unified history of the beginning and end of the academic year, taking into account international universities that follow the university calendar approved by its mother university.

The decision specified the possibility of flexibility in the date of the beginning of the academic year in proportion to the requirements of programs and specialties in higher education institutions, and the date of the end of the academic year according to the dates of the summer semesters. In addition to the possibility of flexibility, no more than a week before or after the dates set for the beginning of the leave while maintaining the leave period.

The adoption of the new structure of the academic evaluation is a strategic step consistent with the state’s directions towards developing higher education, and providing a more flexible and quality educational experience, in line with the needs of students and takes into account various academic and personal aspects. This decision also reflects the commitment of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to create an integrated academic environment that enables students to achieve their maximum capabilities, enhance their readiness for the future, and the effective contribution to the national development process through qualified competencies that possess the tools of excellence and creativity in various specializations and vital fields.