Published on 1 February 2026

Dominican Republic: Education system

If you intend to emigrate to the Dominican Republic, you can obtain information on schooling and education from the FDFA.

School system

The Dominican school system is divided into the following levels:

• Inicial (nursery school) from the age of 5
• Basica (primary school, 8 years)
• Secundaria/Bachillerato (secondary level, 4 years)
• The ‘Bachillerato’ grants access to tertiary education.

Schooling is compulsory (until the completion of primary school). The quality of the Dominican state education system is not of the same standard as in Europe. Expatriates generally prefer to send their children to a private school (colegio). Attending state schools is free of charge for the children. Private schools charge an enrolment fee, then monthly tuition fees. The school year runs from August/September to June.

Neither the qualifications that the state school teaching staff obtain nor the academic level of higher education institutions can be compared to those in Europe.

International schools

In the Dominican Republic, there is a French school (Lycée français) and various private schools that are modelled on the US school system. They charge an enrolment fee and monthly tuition fees.

Universities

The main language of instruction at Dominican universities is Spanish. There are about 19 universities on the peninsula, generally one in each province.

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