UAE: Now, attest university degrees online in just 1 hour

Dubai: University students in the UAE can now have their graduation certificates attested electronically in just one hour, the Minister of Education announced today.

Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi made the announcement at the launch of the “automated attestation” service to make it easier for university graduates to get their certificates verified quickly. The announcement was made during a press conference held by the minister. The ministry’s Undersecretary for Academic Affairs of Higher Education, Dr Mohammed Al Mualla, was also present at the announcement.

The move is intended to speed up the process of attesting students’ certificates. An attested certificate by the Ministry of Education is essential for students applying for higher education or jobs in the UAE and abroad.

Dr Al Falasi said the automated attestation service is a proactive digital service that aims to make the attestation process faster and simpler for students. It ensures that the final outcome meets the quality standards set by the UAE Digital Government Strategy. This initiative aligns with the ministry’s goal to improve the higher education system, which plays a crucial role in creating a knowledgeable society with global competence.

He added: “We at the Ministry of Education seek to harness cutting-edge technological solutions to boost the efficiency of our services, to help students contribute to the UAE’s comprehensive and sustainable development. We will keep using technology to enhance different parts of the education system, establishing the UAE as a top educational destination for students and the home to excellent educational institutions.”

How it works

Dr Sameera Almulla, the ministry’s Director of Certificate Equivalency Department, said the new initiative will grant access to all attested university certificates through the national blockchain platform and app ‘UAE PASS’, in cooperation with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and Digital Government, to ensure faster and more reliable access.

Ali Shuhaimy, Executive Director of Enrolment Management, American University of Sharjah, welcomed the initiative by the Ministry of Education.

“Currently, the way it works is that universities will gather all the students’ certificates and upload them to the Ministry portal for the e-attestation. Later the plan is for students themselves to upload the certificates for their e-attestation,” he said.

He said charges to students will be Dh50 for the attestation and another Dh50 for the translation.

Phased roll out

“It is expected that 11,000 students will benefit from the service in its first phase. Phases 2 and 3 will apply this service to all licensed higher education institutions in the country by 2024,” Dr Al Mulla said.

In the first phase, six licensed universities will benefit from the service: United Arab Emirates University; Mohammed Bin Rashid University Of Medicine and Health Sciences; Khalifa University of Science and Technology; the University of Sharjah; Zayed University; and the American University of Sharjah.

Nadia Al Qabanji, IT Director at Zayed University, said: “It is a wonderful opportunity for us as a university to assist our students in the best way possible. The move by the Ministry of Education is a very proactive one. It is really simplifying the process for students to attest their certificates. Previously it would take days for the student to receive their attested certificates. Now, the Minister said it will be done in one hour. This will have a huge impact.”

She added that the service will also have “a huge impact” on the operational management of the university. “Today we are integrating everything from the back end and we are ensuring that the service is enabled for the students as soon as possible.

“As a university, we believe we are adding value to our students. And this is just the beginning. The Minister also announced that there will be more good news coming for universities and our students.”