If you are searching for “degree equivalency”, the official term has changed. The UAE now operates a “Recognition of University Qualifications” system, which issues a formal recognition report in place of the former equivalency certificate. Qualifications awarded outside the country fall under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
That report has four recognised uses:
Until recently, qualifications earned through affiliation, open learning, e-learning and correspondence were excluded in most cases. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research then updated the recognition system, and all of these modes became eligible for consideration under defined conditions. Four requirements that used to complicate the path were removed:
In their place, the primary criterion became the awarding university’s global ranking: the lower the institution ranks, the higher the requirements applied. That is a point worth weighing when you choose a programme, not after you graduate.
Many people assume embassy attestation settles the matter. It does not. The Ministry requires verification of the qualification through one of its approved partners — DataFlow or QuadraBay — which is a separate step from attestation. Plan for both, not one.
The Ministry explicitly excludes four cases. Read them carefully before enrolling anywhere — knowing them in advance costs far less than discovering them after graduation:
We are a UK-registered education provider, and we are not the body that awards your qualification. Your degree is awarded by the partner university or awarding body, and that is the institution assessed when you apply for recognition. So the most important question to ask before enrolling anywhere — with us or with anyone else — is: who awards this qualification, and who accredits them in their own country?
We answer that question openly: every programme page on this site names its awarding body, and our accreditation page lists each body alongside its official regulator, with a direct link to that body’s own accreditation page so you can verify it without going through us.
We will not claim our qualifications are “recognised in the UAE”. No education provider can promise that, because recognition is a UAE government decision made on your application, your university and your circumstances — after graduation, not before.
What we can do: tell you who awards your qualification, who regulates them, and where to verify. The rest is between you and the Ministry.
This page is written from what the Ministry and official bodies have published. It is general guidance, it does not replace checking with the Ministry, and it is not a guarantee of the outcome of any recognition application.