UAE eases foreign degree rules to support international students

Studying in United Arab Emirates is going to be even more simpler and easier for international students. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has published guidelines for the recognition of international qualifications issued by foreign higher education institutions (HEIs). The recognition process for foreign higher education qualifications is to be established using the principle of Zero Government Bureaucracy. programme.

The guidelines cover important conditions to be applied especially verifying that the qualification is valid and the issuing HEI is legally established, licensed and accredited by the relevant accreditation body in the country of origin. Overall, the guidelines will facilitate the acceptance of foreign qualifications by requiring less time, effort, and documentation requirement for the process, while ensuring that the qualifications are valid.

The decision was made after the successful pilot launch where the requirements decreased by over 70%, compared to the previous system. The number of students recognised with qualifications rose from 5,780 to 12,180 compared to last year. The number of required documents decreased from 14 to four, it improved access to recognition data, and reduced declined requests from 8.3% to 3.5% based on the pilot launch data.

Ahmad Ibrahim Alsaadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education Operations Sector, and Director of the International Education Support and Scholarships Department at MoHESR 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 certificate recognition for employment or continuation of postgraduate studies.”

Studying in the United Arab Emirates can offer students prospective tax-free income after graduation, as well as some of the top universities in the Gulf region, according to the QS World University Rankings.