UAE universities accept predicted grades 2026, and for thousands of students whose exams were cancelled without warning, that confirmation changes everything.
Exams are gone. The results will come from coursework, teacher assessments and mock performance. And now, finally, the universities are starting to say out loud what most families needed to hear: your place is not in danger.
Most of them, anyway. The picture is not completely clean, and a handful of institutions are making families work harder for reassurance than they should have to.
UAE Universities Accept Predicted Grades 2026: What They Are Saying
New York University Abu Dhabi came out early and said clearly that “admission status will not be affected” and that it “will continue to accept official results issued through alternative assessment pathways.” No ambiguity. No conditions attached.
Heriot-Watt University Dubai acknowledged the situation was complicated. Gary Fernandes, an associate regional director there, said the cancellations had “added a layer of complexity” but that no major disruption to university entry was expected. Students are getting conditional offers based on school-verified predicted grades, with full admission confirmed once official results land in July.
De Montfort University Dubai put it plainly. Simon Bradbury, the provost, said cancellations “won’t leave DMU Dubai applicants at a disadvantage.” Students can secure their place using verified predicted grades, including pre-board results, mocks and teacher assessments, as long as they come through official school channels.
Universities Outside the UAE: Where It Gets Complicated
This is where the situation gets uneven, and where students need to be the ones chasing rather than waiting.
Some international universities have been genuinely reassuring. Kiefer Gordon James McIntosh, 19, at The Aquila School in Dubai, heard from the University of Exeter that it “remains fully committed” to his application and does not want “circumstances out of his control to stand in the way” of his future. That is exactly the kind of communication students need right now.
Others have been harder to pin down. Ahmed Youssef, 18, at The English College Dubai, is hoping to study robotics and AI at UCL. He was told the university “does not consider any extenuating circumstances during the admissions process” and that anything affecting exams should be taken up with the exam board directly. His offer is still conditional, and there is no written confirmation yet that predicted grades will satisfy it.
That gap matters. Most universities understand this was a systemic, documented disruption that affected every school in the UAE at the same time. A small number are still placing the responsibility back on individual students. If you have not heard anything concrete from your top choice, send the email now. Do not wait and hope.
One Thing A-Level Students Need to Check
This part is important and often gets missed in the broader conversation.
Students taking English-regulated A-Levels may end up receiving the international equivalent instead, because Ofqual, England’s exam regulator, will not accept teacher-assessed grades or mock results. If that applies to you, check with your school exactly which qualification appears on your transcript and confirm with your university that it still satisfies your offer conditions. It is a quick conversation that could save a lot of stress later.
What Students Are Actually Feeling
The reassurances from universities are welcome. But they do not erase the fact that these students trained for something specific and did not get to do it.
Saket Sachin Raje, 18, an IB student at Gems Modern Academy in Dubai, had 15 exams lined up starting from late April. He said this was supposed to be “the final stretch” where he genuinely felt at his academic best. Since January he had pushed himself harder than ever, and when the cancellation came, he felt “uneasy and somewhat disappointed, knowing that the progress I had made recently might never fully reflect in my final results.” He has an unconditional US offer so his plans are fine, but the feeling was real.
Mira Al Qadiri, 18, at Gems World Academy Dubai, said there was genuine disappointment because for IB students, the final exams are “the culmination of two years of hard work and preparation.” She has received assurances from her universities and is heading to UCL to study engineering and architectural design, but she still felt the loss of the moment.
Not everyone sees it that way, though. Maiev Michael Kolta at Gems Wellington Academy in Silicon Oasis had been preparing for seven A-Level papers and admitted there was “some relief” when they were cancelled. Term three had been largely online, the disruption had been significant, and sitting high-stakes exams in that environment would have been its own kind of unfair.
There is no single right way to feel about this. All of it is valid.
What To Do If You Still Have an Unconfirmed Offer
Stop waiting and send the email. Here is what to include:
Tell them your exams were cancelled due to the regional conflict in the UAE. Tell them your results will be issued through the official alternative assessment process by your exam board. Ask them directly whether your conditional offer remains valid under these circumstances and whether there is anything further you need to provide. Ask for written confirmation.
Keep it short, factual and direct. Most admissions teams are dealing with the same question from dozens of students right now. A clear, specific email gets a faster and more useful response than a vague one.
If your school is contacting universities on your behalf, as several UAE schools have been doing, make sure you know what has been said and to whom. Syed Umer Mustafa Ahmed, 17, at Gems Wellington Academy, said his school “acted very quickly” and that universities had been “extremely understanding.” That kind of coordinated outreach helps, but it is worth knowing exactly where things stand rather than assuming it has all been handled.
Results come out on 6 July, the same day as every other IB student globally. Your transcript will not say anything about alternative assessment. It will look like any other IB result.
The Bottom Line
Most UAE students with conditional university offers are going to be fine. The disruption was real, the circumstances were extraordinary, and the vast majority of universities have responded with the kind of flexibility the situation called for.
For the students still waiting for clarity, the answer is not to keep waiting. It is to pick up the phone or send an email, and get a realistic answer from the admissions office of the universities you have applied to.
Sources: IBO Update on May 2026 exams in the Middle East, Heriot-Watt University