Admissions FAQ

GEMS American Academy Qatar (GAAQ) welcomed students and their families in September 2014 for the 2014 – 2015 academic year.

Our campus occupies a prime location within Al Wakrah, Qatar, just minutes from the Al Janoub Stadium (2022 FIFA World Cup stadium site).  We are situated down the street from the Al Meshaf LuLu Hypermarket and 5 minutes away from Ezdan Mall – Al Wakrah.

We are situated in a modern, purpose-built 20,000-square-metre facility featuring 21st-century classrooms, indoor and shaded outdoor play areas, a rooftop sports field, libraries, cafeterias, ICT suites, a dance studio, multipurpose gymnasium, Makerspace, aquarium, pond, and football pitch. Our facilities also include dedicated band, choir and drama rooms, a fully equipped music production studio, art and ceramics studios, computer labs, and MacBook labs. Our advanced IT and eSports curriculum provides students with opportunities to develop skills using modern technology. All classrooms are equipped with interactive technology to maximize the use of multimedia resources

GAAQ offers a rigorous American curriculum from Pre-Kindergarten (age 3) through Grade 12 (ages 17–18) to a diverse, multicultural student body. Alongside academics based on the U.S. Common Core Standards, the school offers a strong College Board program, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses that provide students with opportunities to pursue college-level learning while still in high school. These programs help prepare students for the academic demands of university and strengthen their readiness for the college admissions process.

Yes, our school is fully-accredited by NEASC /CIE (New England Association of Schools and Colleges and Council of International Education). We are also accredited by MOEHE's and Qatar National School Accreditation. 

Coming from overseas?  Not a problem, click here to check out our school tour video!  Our Admissions team is well-versed in navigating the international school transferring process and will assist you in the process as much as possible.  If your student(s) qualify, it’s even possible to secure their seat(s) in our school well before you enter the country.  With limited space and a high demand for quality education, this process gives you peace of mind that your schooling needs are taken care of even before you arrive in Qatar.  Please submit an application or reach out to our Admissions team at [email protected] for more details.

English is the main language of instruction.  In addition, the school offers Arabic, Spanish and French.

We have all grades (PreKG - Grade 12).

Please refer to our Age Placement Chart. 

Generally, during the school year, we enroll at the beginning of Term 1 (late August/early September) through the beginning of March.   

For instance, for students that have never attended school before (typically Pre-K, KG1 or KG2 students), the deadline for enrollment is traditionally mid-October.  For international student transfers, the deadline for enrollment is traditionally mid-February.  Lastly, for local student transfers within Qatar, the deadline for enrollment is traditionally the beginning of March.

Subject to availability, deadlines and case-by-case scenarios, we will endeavor to accommodate admission throughout the year.

Yes. Our classes are mixed and co-educational.

We recruit highly qualified, experienced and inspirational teachers from around the world. Many of our educators come from the United States and Canada, alongside teachers from Europe, South Africa and other parts of the world. Drawing on the expertise of GEMS Education and our trusted recruitment model, we select dedicated educators who are committed to students’ academic progress and well-being while delivering engaging learning experiences that inspire inquiry, creativity and a love of learning.

GAAQ students are an eclectic and dynamic mix of many nationalities from around the world.  In fact, we have nearly 90+ nationalities within our student body!

Please refer to our Academic Calendar for further details.

From Sundays -Thursdays, all students are allowed to enter the school building from 7:10am onwards. Lessons start sharp at 7:30am.

For grades PreKG - Grade 12 school hours are 7:30am - 2:15pm  Sunday to  Wednesday, Thursday dismissal is at 1:30pm.

For KG1 school hours are 7:30am - 1:30pm  Sunday to  Wednesday. If our Early Year students stay past this time, then they can only be picked-up at 2:15pm (Sundays - Wednesdays) or 1:30pm (Thursdays).

No, we do not charge an application fee.  You will only be charged 200 QAR for an assessment fee (for all Grade 1 – Grade 12 prospective students).

For a full breakdown of our tuition fees, please refer to our Tuition Fees page.

Yes, we conduct an assessment for each child as a part of our admissions process.  Please see our Admissions Process page for further information.

Generally, we accept applications online via the Apply Now page of our website.  

If you are experiencing issues completing the application online, then please contact our Admissions department at [email protected] or by calling +974 4032 9000 for additional assistance.  Lastly, you are free to visit the school and we will assist you with the application in-person.

If you have supporting documentation that you were not able to submit with your application (i.e. Qatar ID or residence visas), scanned copies can be forwarded to [email protected].  Please be sure to quote your child’s name and SR number in the correspondence.

Yes, our Admissions team is here to assist. They will be more than happy to meet at the school, guide you through the application process and answer any questions you may have in English and in Arabic. Please contact [email protected] in order to schedule an appointment.

We are committed to promoting healthy lifestyles at GEMS American Academy Qatar. We serve a wide range of healthy, delicious lunches and snacks in our cafeterias.  Children are taught about health and well-being and all students undertake regular physical activity through our PE lessons and numerous after school sports clubs and sports team. Our guidance counseling program ensures that students can access emotional and mental well-being support as required.

School uniforms can be purchased from the Threads store at Ezdan Mall, Al Gharrafa.

Please refer to our School Transport page for detailed information.  We have bus service ranging from Al Wakrah to The Pearl (Doha).  In fact, the majority of our students live in Doha.

Yes, but the admissions of students that require learning support is subject to the maximum student caseload of our Student Support Teachers (SST) and seat availability per grade.  

Yes, our school has three full-time nurses on site at all times.  There is a dedicated First Aid Unit Center for students who are feeling unwell.  For any emergency situations, our school is less than 8 minutes away from Al Wakra Hospital.

Please check the Working With Us page of our website for career opportunities.

In 2018, a simple sustainability survey conducted by our Advance Placement (AP) Environmental Science students uncovered a lack of eco-friendly and sustainability support in our school.  Therefore, these students embarked to change the culture and ethos around this through relentless pursuit of recycling, biodiversity, elimination of plastic bottling and greenhouse planting, to name a few.  In this short time, GAAQ became the recipient of the Qatar Green Building Council’s “School Sustainability Award in 2019 and earned the FEE’s prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag award in 2020 (just the 3rd school in Qatar to receive this award).  In 2026, we have earned our Third Eco-Schools Green Flag Award.