Business
UAE launches automatic degree recognition for graduates of 34 universities
The UAE has taken a major step towards streamlining higher education services after announcing that 34 UAE-based universities have joined the first phase of an automatic degree recognition initiative.
The move enables graduates to receive immediate recognition of their qualifications, cutting bureaucracy and improving efficiency across the national higher education system.
The initiative, launched by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, supports faster transitions into employment or postgraduate study while helping graduates meet government, residency and visa requirements.
Since its launch, more than 25,000 graduates have benefited from automatic degree recognition.
The Ministry said the service will be expanded to include Emirati students studying abroad under Ministry-supervised scholarships, allowing seamless access to government services from anywhere.
The initiative eliminates the need for additional qualification recognition, strengthening graduates’ readiness for the next stage of their academic or professional careers.
As part of the service for recognising qualifications issued by UAE-based higher education institutions, graduates can verify their degrees through an approved QR code.
UAE degree recognition
The code officially confirms recognition from Ministry-accredited institutions in line with established regulations and procedures.
Ahmad Yousuf Al Nasser, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for Higher Education Operations Sector at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said linking 34 universities in the first phase reflects the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening the national recognition system.
He said: “Linking 34 HEIs in the first phase of the automatic recognition initiative reflects the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening the national recognition system through efficient, flexible services that support students and HEIs and align with societal and labour market needs.
“We continue to expand our HEI network, increasing inclusion under automatic recognition and advancing an integrated, digitally driven system for future service development”.
In addition to automatic recognition for UAE-based institutions, the Ministry provides electronic tools to support qualification recognition more broadly.
These include verification of Ministry-issued recognition and digital reports for qualifications issued outside the UAE, ensuring data reliability and ease of use for relevant authorities.
