Process for recognising foreign degrees eased

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has issued Ministerial Resolution No. (34) of 2025 regarding the recognition of qualifications issued by foreign higher education institutions (HEIs).

The resolution outlines key conditions, including verifying the qualification’s authenticity, and ensuring that the issuing HEI is legally established, licensed and accredited by the relevant accreditation body in its home country.

Ahmad Ibrahim Alsaadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education Operations Sector, and Director of the International Education Support and Scholarships Department at MoHESR, noted that the new decision aligns with the Ministry’s efforts to streamline the recognition of foreign qualifications, reducing the time, effort, and documentation required for the process while ensuring the validity of these qualifications.

Aligned with the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme and global best educational practices, it supports the Ministry’s strategic goal of a seamless, flexible, proactive and excellence-driven educational journey.

Alsaadi added that the decision followed the successful pilot launch, which saw the requirements reduced by over 70% compared to the previous system, and the number of students with recognised qualifications rise from 5,780 to 12,180 compared to last year. The number of required documents was reduced from 14 to four, improving access to recognition data and lowering declined requests from 8.3% to 3.5%, according to pilot launch data.

He said, “The updated system seamlessly integrates with various local scholarship bodies to streamline the recognition of foreign qualifications, using two unified standards across all specialisations and universities. This enhances the graduate experience, simplifying certificates recognition for employment or continuation of postgraduate studies.”

Providing an integrated student journey is a key strategic priority for MoHESR.

The Ministry is comprehensively redesigning this journey to provide a smooth experience that aligns with students’ academic and career needs while supporting the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme.

WAM