UAE Ministry of Higher Education revamps university licensing and accreditation system

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced a series of reforms to simplify institutional licence renewal and academic accreditation processes. The new regulations introduce a risk-based management system aimed at enhancing efficiency and reducing renewal times for higher education institutions.

Under the new framework, low-risk institutions will receive a six-year licence, subject to review every three years, while high-risk institutions will be granted a two-year licence with annual monitoring.

The initiative ensures that all accredited higher education institutions in the UAE are assessed using standardised performance indicators and measurable outcomes.

Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla, Undersecretary of the Ministry, emphasised that the framework provides a unified evaluation mechanism, ensuring transparency and consistency in institutional assessments.

The reforms significantly reduce documentation requirements, making the licensing process more efficient.

Newly established institutions will now need to submit only five documents instead of 28 to obtain a licence.

Similarly, the number of required documents for initial academic program accreditation has been reduced from 13 to one. Institutional licence renewal requirements have also been streamlined from over 11 documents to a single submission. Existing institutions seeking accreditation for new programs will now submit only one document instead of 13.

Additionally, the new regulations establish clear pathways for both new and existing institutions regarding licensing and accreditation. Institutions must now obtain prior approval from the ministry to add or close an academic unit.

To further enhance efficiency, licensing procedures will be standardised between the Ministry and local educational authorities, ensuring immediate ministry licensing upon local approval.

Internationally accredited academic programs will now be automatically recognised without additional procedures.

These reforms apply to all existing and new higher education institutions licenced by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, reinforcing the UAE’s commitment to an efficient and high-quality education system.