The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has introduced a new resolution to simplify the recognition of foreign academic qualifications, aiming to speed up the process while maintaining rigorous standards.
Ministerial Resolution No. (34) of 2025 sets clear conditions for recognising qualifications from overseas, including verifying their authenticity and ensuring the issuing institution is legally accredited in its home country. The move supports the Ministry’s wider goals of offering a seamless, efficient educational journey aligned with global best practices.
Ahmad Ibrahim Alsaadi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education Operations Sector, said the decision is part of MoHESR’s efforts to reduce bureaucracy under the Zero Government Bureaucracy programme. The revamped system cuts the number of required documents from 14 to four and has more than doubled the number of recognised qualifications, from 5,780 to 12,180.
Following a successful pilot phase, the updated process also lowered the rate of declined recognition requests from 8.3% to 3.5%. It now integrates with local scholarship bodies and applies two unified standards across all fields and institutions, making it easier for graduates to have their degrees recognised for employment or further study.
The initiative forms part of MoHESR’s broader strategy to redesign the student journey, enhance digital services from enrolment to graduation, and support a smoother transition into the labour market.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
