The process, step by step
- Gather the original certificates and the records of earlier school years.
- Submit them at the education department for your region; in Jeddah, the Jeddah education department.
- The department sends them electronically to the Ministry of Education.
- The Ministry equates and certifies the certificate.
- Collect the equated certificate from the education department.
Source: Ministry of Education, educational certificates equivalency (Arabic).
The Ministry's conditions
- The school must be accredited by the education authority in its country.
- The certificate must be accepted by universities in the country that issued it.
- Study must be continuous and in sequence, with pass records for the earlier grades.
- Documents must be originals, attested by that country's education ministry and foreign ministry, and by the Saudi embassy or cultural attaché.
- Documents not in Arabic or English need a certified translation.
- No erasures or alterations, and the name must match the ID, family record, Iqama or passport.
These conditions are written for certificates issued outside Saudi Arabia. If your child studies at a British-curriculum school inside the Kingdom, ask the school's registrar and the education department which steps apply.
How many IGCSE and A Level subjects are needed?
The Ministry's equivalency page does not list a number of subjects or minimum grades for British certificates. Universities, however, set their own rules, and they differ. Two examples from official university admission pages:
| University | Example requirement |
|---|---|
| KFUPM | Grades 10 and 11 completed, plus one of: 8 IGCSE/GCSE subjects at B; 5 at B plus 1 A Level at B; or 5 at B plus 2 AS Levels at B. An English test is also required. |
| Umm Al-Qura University | For science programmes: 7 O Level science subjects plus 2 A Level science subjects, or 5 O Level plus 3 A Level. For theoretical programmes: 7 O Level plus 2 A Level theoretical subjects. Language and culture subjects are not counted at A Level. |
These rules change, so read the current admission guide of each university your child is considering (KFUPM, Umm Al-Qura, PDF). Also ask the school and the education department whether Arabic, Islamic Studies or Social Studies are needed in your child's case.
Qudurat and Tahsili
Most Saudi universities also require the General Aptitude Test (Qudurat) and, for many programmes, the Achievement Test (Tahsili), run by the Education and Training Evaluation Commission. Each university combines these with the school grades using its own weighting. For example, Umm Al-Qura weights science programmes 40% school grades, 30% Qudurat and 30% Tahsili.
Common mistakes
- Using the university-degree equivalency portal: school certificates go through the education department.
- Missing an attestation step for certificates from abroad.
- A name spelled differently on the certificates and the Iqama, ID or passport.
- Missing records for earlier school years.
- Choosing IGCSE and A Level subjects without checking the target university's rules.
- Leaving Qudurat and Tahsili registration too late.
Choose subjects with the end in mind
The best time to think about equivalency is before Grade 9, when IGCSE subjects are chosen, and again before A Level. See which A Level subjects to choose and IGCSE vs O Level.