Ministry of Education replaces university qualification equivalency system with new recognition system

The Ministry of Education has unveiled its “University Certificates Recognition” system to replace the previous “University Qualification Equivalency” system for degrees issued by foreign higher education institutions (HEIs), enabling individuals to continue their education or apply for jobs in the UAE.

The Ministry enhanced the previous “University Qualification Equivalency” system with the objective of granting students enhanced flexibility in their academic and professional endeavours and streamlining the recognition process to be efficient and simple, while ensuring efficiency across all its services.

Commenting on the project, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, highlighted that the updated system for recognising certificates from foreign Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) aims to offer students streamlined and adaptable services in completing their educational or employment procedures. Additionally, it simplifies the recognition process while upholding the UAE's commitment to maintaining high-quality and credible educational standards.

Dr. Al Falasi added, “The Ministry of Education has adopted the new system for recognising certificates issued by foreign higher education institutions, after communicating and consulting with all relevant authorities and taking into consideration the observations and suggestions of students on ways to develop the current services we offer. We were committed to ensuring that the new system takes into account those institutions’ international rankings and field of specialisation, in alignment with national and Ministry standards.”

The updated system has removed a number of conditions and criteria that were present in the previous system. These include the need for attesting previous degrees, and complying with a minimum physical presence requirement of 30 days for master's graduates and 168 days for bachelor's graduates. It also eliminated other criteria and conditions like the credit transfer limits, and distance learning credit caps. Obtaining certificates entirely through distance learning (or e-learning) is also now permitted. All programmes are subject to these updates, except certificates related to specialised professions like engineering, medicine, and law.

According to the new system, recognition criteria include the category of the HEI where the certificate was issued. In other words, the lower the rank of the HEI, the more conditions and requirements are applied to attain recognition. For example, for universities ranked from 1-200, it is enough to verify the validity of the certificate, and no other criteria or conditions are required for recognition, excluding certificates related to specialised professions.

Under the new system, certificates related to certain specialisations and issued by foreign HEIs are immediately recognised once their validity is verified and if the university is accredited in case it ranked 601 and above, without any additional conditions or criteria. This, in turn, enhances the efficiency of the overall recognition procedures.

The Ministry continues to collaborate with its partners to enhance efficiency and flexibility and provide a seamless customer experience. These efforts aim to support students and equip them with the skills necessary for a successful career in an evolving job market.

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