The following words and phrases - wherever they appear in this Regulation - shall have the meanings specified next to them unless the context requires otherwise:

• The Kingdom: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• The Ministry: Ministry of Education.

• The Minister: Minister of Education.

• The Deputy Minister: Deputy Minister of Education for Universities, Research, and Innovation.

• The Agent: Agent of the Ministry for Saudi Higher Education.

• The Executive Regulations: The executive regulations for the Regulation of Equivalence of University Certificates.

• The Professional Entities: Government administrative bodies or specialized authorities that regulate a specific profession in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

• The Committee: The Committee for Equivalence of University Certificates at the Ministry of Education.

• The Chair of the Committee: The Chair of the Committee for Equivalence of University Certificates.

• The Specialized Committees: Subcommittees that fall under the Committee for Equivalence of University Certificates.

• The Certificate: A document indicating the attainment of an academic degree above the secondary certificate issued by an educational institution outside the Kingdom.

• The Educational Institution: The higher education institution outside the Kingdom that grants a certificate or academic degree after the secondary certificate or its equivalent.

• Regular Enrollment: The official registration of a student in a higher education institution and their attendance for study, in a regular manner according to the conditions of the educational institution they are enrolled in.

• The Academic Program: A set of courses and study requirements that culminate in obtaining an academic degree.

• The List of Classified Universities: A set of lists defined by the Ministry for academic purposes, such as the list of universities for in-person education and the list of universities for distance education.

• The Attestation: A decision issued by the Committee affirming the validity of the certificate and its content issued by an educational institution outside the Kingdom.

• The Equivalence: A decision issued by the Committee affirming the validity of the certificate and its content issued by an educational institution outside the Kingdom and equating it with its counterparts granted by the Kingdom.

• The Academic Year: The academic year that includes at least two semesters in the educational institution.

• The Semester: The time period required to study one or more academic courses in the educational institution.

• The Diploma Degree: The qualification for which the regular study period required to obtain it is not less than one academic year after the general secondary certificate.

• The First University Degree: The Bachelor's degree or its equivalent.

• The Higher Diploma Degree: The qualification for which the regular study period required to obtain it is not less than one academic year after the first university degree.

• The Qualifying Diploma Degree: The qualification for which the regular study period required to obtain it is not less than one academic year after the first university degree for the purpose of qualifying for a different specialization than that of the first university degree.

• The Second University Degree: The Master's degree or its equivalent.

• The Second Qualifying University Degree: The qualification for which the regular study period required to obtain it is not less than one academic year after the first university degree for the purpose of qualifying for a different specialization from that of the first university degree.

• The Third University Degree: Doctor of Philosophy or its equivalent.

• The Professional Doctorate Degree: The academic degree that is considered the first degree for practicing the profession in the country of study, which does not require a Bachelor's degree in the same specialization or a Master's degree for admission, and scientific research in that degree is not the primary requirement for completing the program.

The purpose of this regulation is to organize the equivalency and validation of post-secondary certificates issued by educational institutions outside the Kingdom.

1- The Committee shall meet at least once a month, and the President may call the Committee to meet if necessary. The meetings of the Committee are valid only in the presence of the majority, including the President or his Deputy. Decisions are made by a majority of the votes of those present, and in the event of a tie, the vote of the President of the meeting shall be decisive.

2- The Secretary of the Committee shall notify individuals of the Committee's decisions in writing as stated in the minutes of the Committee.

The Committee is responsible for the following:

• 1- Reviewing claims for the equivalency of certificates.

• 2- Issuing decisions related to the authentication and equivalency of certificates.

• 3- Studying and classifying specialized programs and educational institutions outside the Kingdom based on recognized scientific foundations and standards.

• 4- Considering requests received from government entities and others to include universities or new specializations in the list of universities classified by the Ministry.

• 5- Establishing policies and frameworks to regulate the process of equivalency for certificates issued from outside the Kingdom in accordance with the required conditions and in a manner that does not conflict with these regulations.

• 6- Reviewing matters referred to it by the Appeals Committee.

• 7- Proposing amendments to the Regulation of Certificate Equivalency and its executive rules.

• 8- Communicating with similar scientific bodies for the purpose of exchanging information and experiences, as well as participating in seminars and conferences related to its work within or outside the Kingdom in accordance with the regulations governing that.

The Committee may delegate some of its responsibilities or authorities to any of its members or specialized committees as it sees fit.

The Committee issues the following decisions:

• 1- Decisions related to the classification of certificates and academic degrees.

• 2- Decisions regarding the equivalency of certificates for applicants requesting equivalency, and the Committee shall not issue equivalency decisions contingent upon the fulfillment of a specific condition.

• 3- Reasoned decisions for not granting equivalency for the certificates of applicants requesting equivalency.

• 4- Reasoned decisions for lack of jurisdiction regarding certificates outside the Committee's jurisdiction.

• 5- Organizational decisions related to the mechanism and procedures for the equivalency of certificates.

The Committee issues its decisions in the following cases:

• A. Decisions for the equivalence of certificates that meet the conditions stated in this Regulation and its executive rules.

• B. Decisions for non-equivalence of certificates that do not meet the conditions stated in this Regulation and its executive rules, and the non-equivalence decision includes the following:

  • 1- Justified decisions for non-equivalence with endorsement.

  • 2- Justified decisions for non-equivalence without endorsement.

The Committee issues decisions of lack of jurisdiction in one of the following cases:

• A - Experiences regardless of their duration.

• B - Certificates of specialization, non-academic certificates, and memberships.

• C - Training courses, professional courses, and diplomas whose duration exceeds one academic year or do not include academic subjects according to recognized academic norms.

• D - Academic attainment that does not culminate in a qualification.

• E - Language learning certificates.

• F - Certificates of the preparatory year for the bachelor's degree.

• G - Preliminary certificates for the master's or doctoral degree.

• H - Military certificates.

• I - Certificates not preceded by academic attainment, such as honorary certificates.