The UAE authorities have cancelled the May 2026 International Baccalaureate (IB) exam session for schools in the country as regional hostilities continue, according to multiple reports. The decision comes amid extended remote learning measures in the UAE and statements from the IB organization offering support to affected schools and candidates. Schools in the UAE are now working with the IB and local education authorities to determine next steps for candidates.
This development most directly affects students attending IB schools in the UAE — including expatriate and regional families — but also has ripple effects for students across the Middle East, including Jordanian students who study in UAE schools or had planned to travel to UAE exam centres. University applicants who were expecting May exam results may face delays in receiving final scores, which can affect conditional offers, scholarship applications and enrolment timelines for autumn 2026.
Students should take immediate practical steps: contact your school’s IB coordinator today to learn whether your centre will submit predicted grades, seek alternative examination centres, or transfer candidature to a different session (for example, November 2026). Check the official IB website (ibo.org) and your school email for confirmed IB guidance. Notify any universities where you hold conditional offers — many admissions offices will accept predicted grades or offer deadline flexibility, but you must request this proactively and get written confirmation.
Preserve and assemble evidence of your assessed work: internal assessment files, extended essay drafts, TOK documentation and teacher reports — these can support predicted grades or appeals. If you are an international applicant, contact the admissions teams at your target universities (UK UCAS, US Common App, EU institutions) to ask about accepting predicted grades, deferral options or late document submission windows. Keep copies of all communications.
Shatnawi for College Admissions and Academic Consultations can help Jordanian and regional students by contacting universities on your behalf, preparing evidence packages for predicted grades, and advising on whether to transfer to another exam session or centre. Our team can also help adjust application timelines and scholarship submissions to reflect the disruption.
For immediate guidance, contact Shatnawi via WhatsApp at +962791888699 or visit shatnawiedu.com. Stay alert to official IB updates and coordinate closely with your school to protect your university admission plans.