Obtaining Equivalency
All applicants to Heriot-Watt University Dubai Bachelor’s or Master’s programmes are required to obtain equivalency of their high schooling or Bachelor’s degree from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research requires attestation of secondary schooling for undergraduate programmes, or Bachelor’s degree for postgraduate programmes.
The equivalency process is dependent upon whether you completed your secondary schooling or Bachelor's degree within the UAE or outside the UAE. 
Applicants who have completed secondary schooling or a previous degree within the UAE
All applicants for admission who have completed either a degree in the UAE or the Thanaweya Al-Amma must get their certificates attested by the UAE Ministry of Education.
Applicants from all other curriculums, who have completed their high school education within the UAE (from international schools), are required to obtain equivalency of their high school qualifications from the UAE Ministry of Education.
You can apply for the equivalency directly on the Ministry of Education website:
Apply for equivalency of documents from within UAE
If you have already obtained the equivalency certificate when applying for or accepting your offer, please upload it to your applicant portal using the specified document file.
If you have not yet received the equivalency certificate at the time of your acceptance, you can submit the attestation after starting your studies. You must upload the equivalency certificates to the portal no later than the end of your first semester.
In such cases, provisional admission will be granted, allowing you to begin your first semester. However, this is conditional upon obtaining the required attestation or equivalency by the end of the semester.
The university reserves the right to take necessary action, which may include terminating your enrolment, if the equivalency certificate is not secured within this timeframe.
Applicants who have completed secondary schooling or a degree outside of the UAE
Step 1
You must have your previous degree or high school records and/or certificates of completion certified by:
- The issuing university or the issuing Board of Secondary Education or a recognised authority for secondary education in the country where you completed your education;
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the host country;
- The UAE Embassy in that host country or the Embassy of the host country in the UAE must attest the authenticity of the documents and attestations and the UAE ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In exceptional cases where meeting conditions (2) and (3) is not possible, certificates may be verified by Embassies in the UAE and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Under these circumstances, you will receive provisional admission and be allowed to begin your first semester of study.
If you are unable to obtain the required attestations, you will need to submit a written agreement confirming your commitment to secure the attestations. You will be allowed to start your studies but must provide the equivalency within one semester.
The university reserves the right to take necessary action, which may include terminating your enrolment, if the documentation is not secured within this timeframe.
Step 2
Using the verified certificates, you must then apply for equivalency. You can use this link: