“Higher Education” expands the automatic recognition of qualifications initiative to include 42 institutions

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced that four new higher education institutions have joined the initiative for automatic recognition of higher education qualifications within the country, bringing the number of institutions benefiting from the initiative to 42 institutions in a step that strengthens the ministry’s efforts to expand the scope of proactive services and improve the graduates’ journey.

The new institutions joining the initiative include (Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, Sharjah Maritime Transport Academy, Imam Malik College of Sharia and Law, and Rochester Institute of Technology Dubai), as part of the gradual expansion of the service to include more higher education institutions within the country.

The Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector and the Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the Higher Education Operations Sector, Amani Al-Bannai, said: “The automatic recognition of higher education qualifications initiative contributes to developing an easier and faster experience for graduates, by enabling them to obtain recognition of their qualifications automatically after graduation, and without the need for additional procedures. Expanding the scope of the initiative comes to enhance the Ministry’s efforts to eliminate government bureaucracy, raise the efficiency of digital services, and support the transition of graduates to their next academic and professional stages with ease and reliability.”

So far, the service has recorded the implementation of 20,255 applications through the automatic recognition initiative, which allows graduates of beneficiary institutions to obtain recognition of their qualifications automatically after graduation, without the need to submit a separate application, through a direct electronic link between the Ministry and higher education institutions.

The expansion comes within the framework of the Ministry’s efforts to reduce government bureaucracy and develop more efficient and easier digital services, which shortens procedures for customers and reduces manual interventions in completing services.

This also coincides with the Ministry’s victory in this year’s session within the program for zeroing out government bureaucracy, which reflects the impact of its initiatives in redesigning services and providing practical solutions that contribute to improving the experience of students and graduates.

The Ministry continues to work to gradually expand the scope of the initiative, as the service targets 102 higher education institutions within the country, while the project completion rate has reached 41%, with 42 institutions joining the service so far, in addition to 15 institutions whose joining procedures are currently being completed.

This progress reflects the Ministry’s keenness to accelerate integration processes in providing digital services, and to enable a wider segment of graduates to benefit from the service.
The automatic recognition initiative contributes to supporting graduates’ transition to the next stages of their academic or professional path more efficiently, whether to complete postgraduate studies or enter the labor market, by providing reliable digital recognition of qualifications immediately after graduation.

The initiative also enhances the reliability and integrity of data, and supports relevant authorities in verifying qualifications quickly and easily in accordance with approved regulations and procedures.
The service relies on an integrated digital system that allows the recognition of the qualifications of licensed institutions that offer accredited programs, in addition to providing a digital verification mechanism via a quick response code, which immediately and officially confirms that the qualification is recognised. This mechanism contributes to enhancing confidence in the outcomes of higher education within the country, and providing accurate data that can be used by relevant authorities.

The Ministry urged the rest of the higher education institutions within the country to complete the requirements for joining the automatic recognition initiative, and to benefit from the service in a way that contributes to reducing procedures for graduates, accelerating the completion of their academic and professional requirements, and supporting institutional integration between the Ministry and higher education institutions.

The Ministry confirms its continued development of its digital and proactive services, in line with the UAE’s trends in eliminating government bureaucracy, enhancing the efficiency of services, and building a higher education system that is more flexible, integrated, and ready for the future.