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It has been a year unlike any other for the UAE's CBSE Class 12 cohort. After the regional conflict that began in late February forced the cancellation of all remaining Gulf-region board exams between March 16 and April 10, students and schools moved into an alternative assessment model — one that combined marks from the papers students had completed with comprehensive year-long internal assessments. On Wednesday, May 13, the Central Board of Secondary Education declared the results. The picture across the UAE is one of strong outcomes against difficult odds, and of families now turning to the next set of decisions: university admissions, re-evaluation, supplementary exams, and the long-term question of what comes after school.

How UAE schools performed

Indian schools across the UAE reported notable results despite the disrupted cycle. At the Indian High Group of Schools (IHS), the Oud Metha campus maintained a 100 per cent pass rate, with around 16.7 per cent of students scoring 95 per cent and above and 50 per cent scoring 90 per cent and above. Nearly 200 students at IHS scored a perfect 100 per cent in individual subjects — including 11 in mathematics, 63 in artificial intelligence, 31 in psychology, 20 in business studies, 19 in computer science, 10 in biology and eight in chemistry. The school's stream toppers included Fatima Saad Dadan in science with 99.4 per cent; Joshua Sunny Stanley and Venu Madhav Mannem sharing the commerce top spot with 99.8 per cent; and Haritha Harishkumar leading humanities with 98 per cent.

Punit MK Vasu, CEO of the Indian High Group of Schools, said the year's results reflected what he called the extraordinary resilience, adaptability and emotional strength shown by students against a backdrop of regional uncertainties and unexpected disruptions. The combined approach of averaging best-performing completed papers with year-long internal assessments, he said, was designed to ensure no child was disadvantaged at the point of university admissions and to produce a result that reflected each student's sustained effort across the year.

At Delhi Private School (DPS) Dubai, 237 students sat the examination and 96.2 per cent secured distinctions. The school average came in at 87.9 per cent, with 45.6 per cent of students scoring 90 per cent and above and a 100 per cent pass rate overall — no failures, second divisions or compartments reported. A particularly notable detail: two Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) students took the examination, with one achieving an aggregate of 95 per cent. Forty-four DPS students secured perfect 100s across subjects ranging from mathematics (14 students) and commercial art (12) to accountancy, computer science, marketing and biology. Principal and Director Rashmi Nandkeolyar said the school was proud of how students had fared, particularly given that most marks were approximated from pre-board scores, where students are traditionally graded strictly.

At Bright Riders School in Abu Dhabi, 251 students sat the exam, with 179 (71.3 per cent) securing distinctions and a grade average of 80.71 per cent. Forty-five students scored 100 per cent in individual subjects, with mathematics (21 students) and English (10 students) leading the count. Deron Lawrance emerged as the overall school topper with 99.4 per cent, followed in the science stream by Vandana Anoop (97.2 per cent) and Aman Anoop Ahamed (96.6 per cent); Purvika Sharanabasappa topped commerce with 94.2 per cent. Emirates National School in Sharjah presented 114 students, with 17 scoring A1 grades across every subject; Acel Shyam Shibu led commerce with 97.2 per cent and Sanjay Sumesh led science with 96 per cent.

Across GEMS Education's eleven CBSE schools in the UAE, 2,509 students appeared this year and recorded a 99.96 per cent pass rate, with an overall group average of 85.7 per cent and 35 per cent of students averaging 90 per cent and above. Abida Omer Karjikar from Our Own English High School Sharjah led the cohort with a perfect 100 per cent overall. Apurva Ranjit Prasannalayam from GEMS Our Own Indian School Dubai followed with 99.8 per cent, and several other students recorded 99.6 per cent across campuses. GEMS Millennium School Sharjah posted the highest school average at 90.9 per cent. Group CEO Dino Varkey said the results reflected both academic achievement and resilience in extraordinary circumstances. Group Chief Education Officer Lisa Crausby OBE said outcomes sustained year after year were built through a community united in purpose.

What students should do immediately

With results in hand, the first move is the simplest: read the marksheet carefully, then check university eligibility requirements and admissions deadlines before making any decisions. Education leaders interviewed by Khaleej Times stressed that this is not a moment for rushed responses. The 2026 results have an unusual texture — strong in many cases, but achieved through a non-standard pathway — and the right next step depends on what each student wants to do, not on a generic timeline.

Hana Mohammed Shaji, an outgoing Grade 12 science student who scored 91 per cent and has secured admission to Manipal Academy of Higher Education's Dubai campus for Computer Science Engineering, told Khaleej Times that the year had been academically challenging. Physics and chemistry were sat in the UAE before the regional tensions escalated, she said, but the remaining four papers could not be completed. She also noted that 2026 papers had moved further towards competency-based questioning, adding a layer of difficulty even before the exam disruption. Afrah Shahed, who scored 96.4 per cent and is now considering biomedical science or physiotherapy in the UAE, said she was grateful for her result despite a year of preparation followed by cancellation. Her NEET exams — the entrance route to Indian medical colleges — were also cancelled, prompting a wider rethink.

Re-evaluation and supplementary exams: when to consider them

Students who feel their score does not reflect their ability have formal options, but school leaders are uniformly urging structured conversations with counsellors and teachers before any application is filed. Prarthana Kale, Principal of the Indian Academy Dubai, told Khaleej Times that her school's Wellness Weavers team — combining senior leaders, class teachers and career counsellors — was actively guiding families on result interpretation, university applications, course selection, documentation, recommendation letters, and on CBSE-specific procedures such as verification, re-evaluation and improvement exams. She emphasised that a single examination result does not define a student's potential or future success.

Bhanu Sharma, Principal of Woodlem Park Ajman, said her school was supporting students through one-on-one counselling, result review sessions and guidance on re-evaluation or improvement exams, alongside emotional support to help students manage the stress of the period. The point both school leaders made is the same: re-evaluation can be the right move, but only after a calm assessment of which subjects truly warrant it, what the timeline implications are for university admissions, and what alternative pathways are available in parallel.

University options if scores are lower than expected

UAE universities are actively communicating that students still have multiple routes available even where headline scores fall short of competitive programme cut-offs. Gary A Fernandes, Associate Regional Director of Prospect Experience and Global Admissions at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, told Khaleej Times that the university was offering a range of progression opportunities including Foundation programmes and advanced-entry routes, with admissions teams open to reassessing student profiles once revised results come through from re-evaluation or supplementary exams. For high-performing CBSE students in selected programmes, Heriot-Watt is also offering Year 2 advanced entry, allowing eligible students to reduce the overall time required for an honours degree while progressing towards a UK-recognised qualification. The university is hosting an open day on Saturday, May 16, for prospective students and parents.

Shreebha Pillai, Head of Admissions and Promotions at Symbiosis Dubai, said the university was extending conditional admissions to students still awaiting revised results, subject to meeting eligibility criteria, and encouraging those students to stay in close contact with the admissions team. Symbiosis is also running career-guidance programmes designed to help students match degree pathways to longer-term interests rather than to immediate marks alone. Middlesex University Dubai, meanwhile, is hosting its own open day on Saturday, May 16, from 2pm to 7pm, with academics, admissions counsellors, alumni and current students available to speak with families. Seán Bambrick, Student Recruitment, Global Partnerships and Outreach Manager at Middlesex Dubai, also pointed to portfolio workshops the university is running for students interested in graphic design, film and fashion.

How parents can best help right now

Education leaders interviewed by Khaleej Times offered consistent advice for parents: do not compare scores between children or between cohorts, and prioritise informed planning and emotional steadiness over reactive decision-making. Prarthana Kale noted that parents often feel anxious about admissions timelines, scholarships and visa requirements at this stage, which is precisely why structured school guidance matters. Bhanu Sharma described the role schools are playing right now as navigators at a critical life juncture, with webinars and meetings designed to walk families through university pathways and reassure them through the period.

The practical translation: keep communication open, sit down with the school counsellor early, and treat the next two to three weeks as a planning window rather than a panic window. Open days at Heriot-Watt Dubai, Middlesex Dubai and other universities are running through mid-May, and most universities have signalled flexibility on conditional offers while final results, re-evaluations and supplementary exam outcomes settle.

The wider picture

Behind the individual top scores and the school-by-school pass rates is a broader story: a cohort of UAE-based Class 12 students who prepared for nearly a full academic year for examinations that, in many cases, did not take place as planned. The alternative assessment policy CBSE introduced for the Gulf region was designed precisely so that students would not be disadvantaged in university admissions because of circumstances outside their control. Early indications across UAE campuses — high pass rates, large numbers of distinctions, perfect scores in single subjects — suggest the policy has held up. The challenge ahead is less about validating results and more about helping students convert them into the right next step: a university place that fits their interests, a programme that matches their goals, or in some cases a planned year that includes re-evaluation, supplementary exams or a foundation route. UAE schools and universities are, by their own account, gearing up to walk families through that decision with care.

Source:

Khaleej Times — "CBSE class 12 results 2026: What UAE students should do next" by Nandini Sircar (May 14, 2026). https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/schools-and-parents/cbse-class-12-results-2026-what-uae-students-should-do-next

Gulf News — "CBSE class 12 results 2026: UAE schools celebrate strong pass rates and top scores despite regional conflict" by Zainab Husain (May 13, 2026). https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-class-12-results-2026-uae-schools-celebrate-strong-pass-rates-and-top-scores-despite-regional-conflict-1.500539468