Qatar decides most equivalency cases before the student leaves. A Qatari who starts a degree abroad without the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s pre-approval has usually lost the chance of equivalency already. At graduation, the Ministry mostly checks that the approval’s conditions were kept.
The rules come from Cabinet Resolution No. 3 of 2017 and the Ministry’s service pages. The Ministry notes that the resolution has since been amended, so its current text is the authority.
Who equivalences, and who advises
Decisions are taken by the Ministry’s university certificate equivalency department. A technical committee of Ministry representatives and academics advises it on whether a qualification matches a Qatari level. Military, security, training and vocational certificates are not equivalenced. Professional and executive master’s degrees and the DBA are the exceptions.
Pre-approval comes first
Anyone studying abroad at their own or their employer’s expense needs pre-approval. Only Ministry scholarship students are exempt. The FAQ is blunt: no degree whose holder began study abroad after 30 March 2017 without pre-approval will be considered for equivalency.
Pre-approval is tied to the Ministry’s list of universities, which is reviewed every six months. The university must be on the list when you apply, and being listed is not permission to start. If your university is dropped after you are approved, you may finish there. An unlisted university is considered only where there is an acceptable reason, such as work taking you to a country the list does not cover.
You will need an unconditional offer that states the degree, major, mode, duration, place of study and dates. You will also need previous qualifications that are already equivalenced, your employer’s consent (or proof that you are not employed), a Qatari ID, the full study plan, and a letter from the institution confirming that the programme is not designed for a particular group of students.
The conditions that follow the approval
- No changes without permission. Changing country, university, major, level or mode of study needs the department’s approval first.
- Main campus. You must attend and sit your exams at the main campus named in the approval. The regulation accepts a branch only if it carries the parent’s name, is accredited where it operates, and applies the same admission standards.
- Start on time. The Ministry’s page says you must begin face-to-face study within six months or the approval lapses. The resolution says one academic year. Work to the shorter deadline.
- One approval per degree. Holding two for the same degree cancels both.
Degree length, and the British three-year problem
A bachelor’s degree must take at least four years. A three-year degree qualifies only with a foundation year or A-levels (or equivalent) behind it. A British Ordinary degree does not count as a completed first degree. Top-up programmes abroad are not accepted. Diploma holders need advanced entry to a full bachelor’s instead. A master’s needs at least one year after the bachelor’s, and a doctorate two years after a master’s or three after a bachelor’s.
Online and distance study
On a full-attendance degree, no more than 25% of the requirements may be taken by distance learning. Full distance degrees are considered only with pre-approval, and never for medical, clinical, allied health, engineering, or natural and biological science programmes. For other subjects, the resolution sets these bars:
| Country | Condition for a distance degree |
|---|---|
| United States | Accreditor recognised by CHEA; university among the top 100 in the US |
| United Kingdom | Reviewed by the QAA; programme accredited by the relevant professional bodies; university among the top 50 in the UK |
| Australia | Authorised by TEQSA to accredit its own qualifications; programme accredited by the relevant professional bodies; university among the top 20 in Australia |
| New Zealand | Programmes approved by Universities New Zealand; institution audited by AQA; university among the top 5 in New Zealand |
| Other countries | Case by case; university among the top 5 in its own country on Webometrics |
What to keep while you study
- Previous qualifications, and a language certificate where relevant.
- Evidence of the foundation year, if you studied in the UK or your university required one.
- Every transcript, including transferred credit and any interim diploma, attested as required.
- The degree certificate or a graduation letter, attested.
- Copies of your study visas, plus the CAS if you studied in the UK.
- The pre-approval letter.
At application you also authorise the Ministry to verify the degree with the university, and supply certified Arabic or English translations where needed.
Applying, timing and cost
Both services run online through the Ministry’s e-services, which list equivalency as free of charge. The service also appears on Hukoomi. The department has 60 days from a complete file to decide, and silence counts as refusal. You can appeal to the Minister within 30 days.
Residents, including Jordanians working in Qatar
The online equivalency service is for Qataris and the children of Qatari mothers. Residents get a separate attestation service. To use it, you must hold a valid residence permit and work for a government or semi-government employer that requires the attestation. The regulation also lets the department consider an expatriate’s degree without pre-approval, if the institution meets its conditions. Graduates of foreign universities operating inside Qatar must contact the department for manual attestation. Residents in the private sector should ask their employer and the Ministry which route applies.
How Qatar compares
Like Saudi Arabia, Qatar requires approval before you travel, insists on the main campus, and treats a three-year British degree as incomplete without a foundation year. The two differ on distance study: Saudi Arabia does not equivalence it, while Qatar allows a limited share. Kuwait relies on documents certified by its cultural office. Qatar relies on the pre-approval file, so keep that letter and every transcript from the first term.
GESCO’s Doha office can go through a pre-approval file with you, but only the Ministry decides. Get its confirmation in writing before you enrol. For the Jordanian rules, see will your degree be recognised when you come home.
Sources: Cabinet Resolution No. 3 of 2017 (Al Meezan); MoEHE pre-approval service, about equivalency and equivalency FAQ. Checked on 23 September 2026.