The cost of education in UAE? AED 1m per child

The cost of a full education up to degree level per child in the UAE is almost AED1 million ($250,000), making it the most expensive country in the world, according to research by insurance giant Zurich.

The figure, which excludes multiple interest rates, is based on the total cost of education of two years at pre-school, six years at primary school, six years at secondary school and three years at a British university.

Pre, primary, and secondary school costs in the UAE total an average of almost AED530,000 ($145,000) per child.

The costs exclude fees such as cost of books, uniforms, and trips, which could increase the figure by 40 percent for top-level schools.

As for tertiary education, it costs an average of over AED 76,000 ($21,000) per year for UAE-based universities in comparison to AED55,000 ($15,000) in Australia and Canada, AED85,000 ($23,000) in the US, and AED57,000 ($15,500) in the UK.

Extra costs of basic living expenses per UAE student studying in the UK for a three-year course amount to almost AED235,000 ($64,000).

“A typical family with two children could look at spending as much as AED2 million on education,” Amrita Sethi, head of marketing and communication for Zurich International Life, Middle East, said in a statement.