IF you are Emirati you will require equivalency to go to University in the UAE and also to receive permission to go on 'mission' to University abroad.

IF you are not Emirati but are Arab, you may require Equivalency to study in the UAE or a GCC or Arab nation*.

IF you are not Emirati and not Arab you may require Equivalency to study in the UAE or a GCC country, however this does vary from University to University and the best course of action is to contact the University you may potentially apply to and ask them their stance on this.  

*Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Palestine, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Jordan

The official MOE stance on universities applications and future jobs with a Governmental organisation as stated by the MOE  is that as a school we are obliged  to communicate that equivalency is necessary for any student seeking future education in they UAE or seeking to work for a governmental organisation. 

However, some universities do admit without MOE/ EMSAT, however that may change and we cannot guarantee that it won't - official statement as above.

Please follow this website to find out more about the requirements to meet equivalency (Shahadat Al-Thanawiya Al-Amma) in the UAE:

https://www.moe.gov.ae/En/Pages/home.aspx

Please note Equivalency may be required by a Non-Emirati student seeking to study at third level in the UAE or seeking to work in a UAE Government owned organisation in the future. 

YOu can use this link to request your Equivalency certificate if required.

Official statement of requirements from the MOE - as per website

Meeting the requirement of equalizing the general education certificate (Shahadat Al-Thanawiya Al-Amma) is shown in details below:

• General attachments required in all cases:
  • Copy of the Emirates ID of the customer
  • Copy of Passport of the customer
  • Copy of UAE Visa for non-GCC nationals
  • Attest all mentioned certificates from any MOE Customer Happiness Center
  • Legal translation for the certificates issued in any language other than Arabic or English and attest them from the accredited entities
  • Original certificates for the last 3 years of study
  • Arabic Subject is required for Arabic speakers only, and Islamic Subject is required for Muslims only in all private schools in the UAE for grades (10+11+12).

• Secondary certificate equivalence requirements (British Curriculum)* these are the new Equivalency requirements according to Ministerial circular 883 from September 2021 and will apply to all students seeking equivalency. 
• * note significant changes to point 2 - A Level .
  • 1. Secondary school certificates in private schools following the British Curriculum with the General Secondary Certificate are equalized without specifying the tracks according to the following general conditions:
  • a. The regulations in section 4 in this circular are applied.
  • b. The student completes successfully grade 12 or its equivalent.
  • c. The student completes successfully (5) subjects at the normal level (IGCSE or GCSE level) with (A*, A, B, C, D) or (3,4,5,6,7,8,9) to include the following subjects:
  • i. Mathematics
  • ii. A subject from Sciences subjects (physics - chemistry - biology) or dual science.
  • iii. English language or English literature subject
  • 2. The student completes successfully (2) subjects at the high level (GCE Advanced level) with (A*, A, B, C, D).*
  • 3. Arabic language and Islamic are not to be counted as part of the subjects.
  • 4. The student chooses his subjects among the subjects approved by the MOE.

Equivalency, Arabic opt out and EMSAT official letters 

Current Equivalency requirements until end of academic year 2021  (you can find the list of GCSE and ALeve equivalency subjects in the first (199) document below - please scroll to the end of the document.)