Same Cambridge results. A fraction of the ADIS MBZ fee.

Yes. DIS accepts mid-year enrolments across all year groups. The admissions team will review your child's current Cambridge year group and subject set, and align them to the closest point in the DIS timetable. Because both schools follow the Cambridge curriculum, the transition is typically straightforward. You will not lose progress on the syllabus. The team can advise on subject matching during a free 20-minute call before any commitment is made.

DIS students in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE sit their Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level exams at approved Cambridge exam centres, including the British Council Dubai. DIS is not a Cambridge registered centre; students register independently through an approved exam centre. The DIS academic team advises families on the registration process and deadlines well in advance of each exam series. Exam fees are separate from the monthly DIS fee and paid directly to the exam centre.

Yes. Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level qualifications are recognised by universities across the UAE, GCC, the UK, and internationally. The qualification is determined by Cambridge Assessment International Education and the exam board, not by the school that delivered the teaching. UAE universities including those in Abu Dhabi accept Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level results for undergraduate admissions in the same way they accept results from campus schools. DIS does not claim any special accreditation beyond the qualification itself.

DIS does not replicate campus social life, and we would not claim otherwise. What it does is free the after-school window entirely. Most DIS students in Abu Dhabi use that time for in-person activities: community sports academies, swimming clubs, music tuition, and weekend social groups. Live class sizes of 4–6 students also mean students build genuine relationships with classmates and teachers across the GCC, even without a physical corridor. Many families find their children are more socially active once the two-hour daily commute is removed.

Because the DIS school day ends earlier than a typical campus day, and there is no commute, students have a genuine after-school window. In Abu Dhabi and MBZ City, popular choices include football academies, swimming at community pools, martial arts clubs, music and arts programmes, and weekend youth groups. DIS does not restrict extracurricular activity. The afternoon is the student's to use for in-person pursuits that a long campus day would otherwise crowd out.

All DIS classes are live. There is no self-paced video library for the core timetable. Students join a scheduled lesson at a fixed time, Monday to Friday on Gulf Standard Time, with a postgraduate-qualified teacher present and classmates visible. Cameras are on, questions are asked in real time, and attendance is recorded. Recorded replays of lessons are available for review through the DIS platform, but the live session is the primary teaching model.

DIS employs more than 100 postgraduate-qualified teachers, all GCC-based and teaching in Gulf Standard Time. Qualifications include PGCE, QTS, and Cambridge-trained credentials. Teachers are subject specialists, not generalists, so a Cambridge IGCSE Mathematics class is taught by a qualified maths teacher, not a general science teacher filling a slot. The DIS academic team can provide information on teacher qualifications for specific subjects during the admissions call.

DIS runs on a Monday-to-Friday schedule aligned to Gulf Standard Time. Classes open at 08:00 GST and run through to approximately 14:00 GST, mirroring a standard Abu Dhabi school day without the commute. There is no time-zone issue for families based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, or Oman. The timetable is fixed and published in advance through the DIS parent dashboard, so families can plan around it.

ADIS MBZ charges approximately AED 72,000 per year for IGCSE years and around AED 82,000 per year for A-Level. DIS charges AED 500 per month for IGCSE years, which is AED 6,000 per year, and AED 800 per month for A-Level, which is AED 9,600 per year. All subjects are included in the DIS monthly fee. There are no per-subject charges and no hidden extras. The saving per IGCSE year is in the region of AED 66,000 for the same Cambridge qualification.

Students need a laptop or desktop computer with a stable internet connection, a webcam, and a microphone. A tablet can work for some lessons but is not recommended as the primary device for written work and exams. Most households in Abu Dhabi with a standard broadband or fibre connection will meet the requirements without any additional hardware. The DIS team will confirm the full technical requirements before enrolment.

Yes. Cambridge IGCSE and A-Level qualifications are fully portable. A student who completes one or two years at DIS and then moves to a campus school carries the same Cambridge credentials, predicted grades, and academic record as a student who studied entirely on a campus. DIS issues formal predicted-grade transcripts and end-of-year results in the same format as any Cambridge school. Transferring back to a physical school mid-programme is possible; the DIS team advises on the process.

Cambridge IGCSE Science subjects include assessed practicals as part of the syllabus. DIS students complete the alternative to coursework (Paper 6 for Cambridge Sciences), which is a written paper assessing practical skills rather than a laboratory session. This is a recognised Cambridge assessment route and is available at all standard exam centres. The DIS science teachers cover practical methodology, data analysis, and experimental design within live classes. Students are not disadvantaged in the final qualification by the absence of a physical lab.