Pharmacy is grouped with engineering and architecture in the Ministry’s admission bands: a secondary school average of 80%, met before enrolling abroad. It is a lower bar than medicine and dentistry, and that is precisely why it catches families out — a student in the mid-seventies is often steered toward pharmacy abroad as the safe option, when for equivalency purposes it is not.
What the Ministry checks
- The average: 80% or above at the point of enrolment.
- The university: listed on the Ministry’s recognised universities list on the day you enrol — and so is every other institution where any 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, in stays of at least two consecutive months or one full semester.
If the average is below 80%, nursing and the medical sciences sit at 70% and are worth discussing honestly, rather than enrolling in a pharmacy programme that will not equivalence.
The licence to practise
Academic equivalency does not by itself allow you to work as a pharmacist. Practising in Jordan requires a licence issued through the Ministry of Health — listed on the government services portal as ترخيص مزاولة مهنة الصيدلة — together with membership of the Jordan Pharmacists Association, which publishes its own membership requirements.
What the Pharmacists Association requires
The Jordan Pharmacists Association states that nobody may practise pharmacy without being on its register. It sets these conditions for registration:
- a scientific-stream Tawjihi, or its equivalent
- a pharmacy degree from a recognised faculty, and for graduates of foreign and Arab universities, the Ministry of Higher Education’s equivalency, as a certified copy
- at least 1,440 hours of training inside Jordan, in a pharmacy under a licensed pharmacist or in a drug factory approved by the faculty
- for graduates of non-Jordanian universities, a pass in the exam required under the Pharmacy Practice Law
- a valid certificate of no criminal record
The training hours, if you studied abroad
According to the Association’s training rules, it accepts training only in community pharmacies inside Jordan. Hours worked in a pharmacy in the country where you studied do not count towards the 1,440. A graduate of a university outside Jordan opens a training file with the Association for JD 50, bringing the university certificate and its equivalency. They must then show certified training in pharmacies inside Jordan for a period of at least six months.
Plan for this training period in Jordan when you work out how long it will take before you can practise. Ask the Association how it will count any hours you can do in Jordan during your studies.
The exam for graduates of non-Jordanian universities
The Association holds the exam at its headquarters in Shmeisani, Amman. According to its January 2024 notice, there is a written exam followed by an oral one. That notice asked candidates to bring:
- a valid ID
- a certified copy of the Tawjihi mark sheet
- a certified copy of the Ministry of Higher Education equivalency
- a fee of JD 50
The format and fee may have changed since January 2024, so check the Association’s latest notice for the next date. Its membership document list for Jordanians asks for the exam result and the 1,440-hour training certificate from inside Jordan.
The licence to practise itself is issued by the Ministry of Health. Its current conditions for pharmacists are not reproduced here, so read them on the Ministry’s site or ask the Ministry directly.
Source: Jordan Pharmacists Association, membership conditions, pharmacy-student training rules, the exam notice of 3 January 2024 and the membership document list, checked on 23 September 2026.
Before you pay a pharmacy school deposit
- Confirm the secondary average is at or above 80%.
- Find the university, and any pathway college attended, on the Ministry’s recognised list.
- Get the required on-campus months per year in writing from the university.
- Read the Pharmacists Association’s membership conditions and training rules for foreign graduates, and plan for at least six months of pharmacy training inside Jordan, the exam and the Ministry of Health licence.
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. Verify with the Ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Association before making a decision.