Dentistry attracts students whose Tawjihi average fell just short of medicine, which is exactly why it produces so many recognition problems. The Ministry places dentistry in the same band as medicine: a secondary school average of 90%, met before enrolling abroad. A student who did not qualify for medicine in Jordan on average alone will not qualify for dentistry abroad either, as far as equivalency is concerned.
The university’s own admission decision is a separate matter. Many dental schools abroad will accept a student at 80% or lower. That acceptance says nothing about whether Jordan will equivalence the degree five years later, and the university has no obligation to raise the subject.
What the Ministry checks
- The average: 90% or above at the point of enrolment.
- The university: on the Ministry’s recognised list on the day you enrol, along with any other institution where part of the degree was taken.
- Time on campus: at least eight months of regular in-person study per academic year for students enrolled from 1 October 2023, split into stays of no less than two consecutive months or one full semester.
The residency rule deserves particular attention in dentistry, because clinical training hours are the part of the programme students most often ask to compress or complete elsewhere. Get the required months in writing from the university before you enrol, not after.
The licence to practise
Equivalency establishes the degree academically. Treating patients in Jordan is a separate permission: a licence to practise dentistry, issued through the Ministry of Health, alongside membership of the Jordanian Dental Association. The government services portal lists the licensing service and its current requirements under منح شهادة مزاولة مهنة طب الأسنان.
The route for a graduate of a dental school abroad
The Ministry of Health’s dental licensing regulation (No. 98 of 2016, as amended) forbids a dentist to practise without both membership of the Association and a licence. Three bodies are involved, in this order:
- Equivalency, then temporary registration. The Jordan Medical Council requires graduates of non-Jordanian universities to bring the final degree and its permanent equivalency from the Ministry of Higher Education. The Association’s internship file for Jordanian graduates of Arab and foreign universities asks for the degree certificate, transcript and equivalency, each certified by that Ministry, and a certified scientific-stream Tawjihi.
- A temporary permit for the internship year. The Ministry of Health issues it on the strength of the Association’s temporary registration letter and the Council’s approval of your training. The Ministry’s fee is JD 15.
- Twelve months of internship (الامتياز) in Jordan. The Council’s 2025 instructions split it into six months in dental centres, four in specialist centres and hospitals, and two in emergency departments. You may not take more than 14 days away from training during the year.
- The comprehensive exam (الفحص الإجمالي), set by the Jordan Medical Council for graduates of non-Jordanian universities. It is held twice a year, in June and December.
- Full registration and the licence. For graduates of Arab and foreign universities, the Association’s registration list requires the internship completion letter, the Council’s mark sheet showing you passed, and a certificate of no criminal record. The Ministry then issues the general dentist’s licence for JD 25. It must be renewed every five years.
What the dental exam looks like
| Part | Format | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Written | 100 multiple-choice questions, computer-based, in Arabic and English, two hours. 20% each on oral surgery and pathology; conservative dentistry and endodontics; fixed and removable prosthodontics; periodontics, oral medicine and radiology; paediatric dentistry, orthodontics and preventive dentistry | 50% |
| OSCE (clinical) | Structured clinical exam, set by the exam committee. Open only to candidates who have passed the written part | 50% |
You have four attempts at each part. A candidate who passes the written part and fails the OSCE resits only the OSCE. After four failed attempts, the Council requires six months of training at a recognised hospital first.
These conditions are revised from time to time, and some of the Association’s pages have not been updated for several years. Confirm the current version with the Jordan Medical Council, the Jordanian Dental Association and the Ministry of Health before you enrol.
Source: Ministry of Health, Dental Practice Licensing Regulation No. 98 of 2016 and its amendments; Jordan Medical Council, Instructions on Registration, Training and the Comprehensive Examination for Medicine and Dentistry for 2025; Jordanian Dental Association, requirements for graduates of Arab and foreign universities. All checked on 23 September 2026.
Before you pay a dental school deposit
- Confirm the secondary average is at or above 90%. If it is not, dentistry abroad is not a safe plan for practising in Jordan.
- Find the dental school on the Ministry’s recognised list, and keep a dated screenshot.
- Get the required on-campus months per year in writing from the university.
- Read the Jordan Medical Council’s 2025 instructions and the Jordanian Dental Association’s requirements for foreign graduates, and plan for the twelve-month internship in Jordan.
If the average rules dentistry out, the honest alternatives worth discussing are the medical sciences and allied health fields, where the Ministry’s minimum is 70%, rather than a dental degree that cannot be equivalenced.
The full set of Ministry conditions is set out in will your degree be recognised in Jordan. Conditions and figures here come from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Recognition and Certificates Equivalency Directorate, checked on 6 September 2026.