GEMS Founders School - Masdar City

Step 1 – Online Application: Complete the Online Student Enquiry & Registration. After submitting the form, you receive an acknowledgement with an online reference number and guidance on the following steps. This starts your child's admissions journey.

Step 2 – Assessment: Your child will be invited by the School Registrar for an assessment or an interview via email notification or phone. Results are notified by email or by phone. Observations are used for Foundation Stage 1 and 2 (FS1 and FS2); written assessments for Year 1 and Year 2; and CAT4 with written assessments for Year 3 to Year 8.

Step 3 – Enrolment: The Registrar sends offer letters to successful applicants, subject to seat availability. Families review the offer details and proceed to the next step in the process. The offer indicates a potential place at GEMS Founders School – Masdar City, pending completion of the subsequent steps.

Step 4 – Registration Deposit: The deposit is payable after the student has been offered a place and parents have accepted the offer. The registration deposit is 5% of the total tuition fees and is non-refundable. The deposit is deductible from the total tuition fees for the academic year. Once the above process is completed the student is enrolled. Parents will be notified via email the schedule of tuition fee payment, by the Finance department.

Step 5 – Required Documents: The minimum documents include passport copies for the child and both parents, residency visa pages, and a copy of the child's birth certificate (in English or Arabic). Recent passport photographs and the child's immunization/vaccination card, plus Emirates ID copies for the child and both parents, are required. Original Emirates IDs are required if the child is accepted. Copies of the child's last two school reports are required for Year 1-2; last two years' reports and CAT4 for Year 3+; nursery reports for FS1/FS2 if available; and a transfer certificate or leaving certificate.

Step 6 – Transfer Certificate Guidelines: The transfer certificate must be on official school letterhead and include the full name, date of birth, enrollment date and the year group when the child first started at the current school, present class, year promoted to, school curriculum, and the principal's signature and stamp. If transferring from a GCC country or another UAE emirate, the transfer certificate must be attested by the Ministry of Education. Countries outside the UAE (including but not limited to the USA, Australia, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, and New Zealand) require attestation from Educational Authorities, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the UAE Embassy. Within Abu Dhabi, transfer is online through eSIS once a seat is confirmed.

Step 7 – For Existing Students: Re-Registration Deposit: Re-registration deposits apply when existing students re-enrol for the following academic year. The re-registration deposit is 5% of the total tuition fees and is non-refundable, and it is deductible from the total tuition fees. The Finance department provides the schedule of tuition payments by email.

Step 8 – For Existing Students: Transfer Certificates and Overseas Applications: Students in Year 1 and above must submit a Transfer Certificate/School Leaving Certificate; this is a mandatory requirement by ADEK for eligibility to enter a classroom. The Transfer Certificate should state the student's name, age, the year the student was promoted to by the end of the previous academic year, the current year, and the curriculum, and it must be stamped by the school and signed by the Principal/Vice Principal. The Transfer Certificate may be in Arabic or English and must be attested as required by the origin country; for Abu Dhabi, attestation rules apply and eSIS will transfer the file online once a seat is confirmed.