The Education System in Jordan
How the Jordanian system is structured — the stages, the examination gates, the pathways and the regulators
Section
Education in Jordan
A structural guide to how education in Jordan actually works: the stages, the transition points where decisions matter, the qualifications each route produces, and the bodies that regulate and recognise them.
In short
Jordanian education runs from early childhood through ten years of basic education, two years of secondary education examined by the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), and on into higher education — community colleges, university colleges and universities awarding bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Schools are regulated by the Ministry of Education; higher education by the Ministry of Higher Education, with accreditation handled by the Accreditation Commission and foreign qualifications assessed by the Recognition & Equivalency Directorate.
Criteria used on this page
No institution is described here as universally "the best". Each list states the criteria behind it, and the right choice depends on the student's objective. Criteria applied:
- The stage you are at — The decision that matters in grade 9 is not the decision that matters in grade 12.
- The pathway, not the label — Academic, applied and vocational routes lead to different qualifications and different options.
- Recognition — What a qualification is worth depends on who recognises it — check before enrolling.
- Language of instruction — Jordanian schooling and higher education mix Arabic and English in ways that vary by subject and institution.
- Regulator — Schools, universities and accreditation each sit with a different authority.
Regulators and official gateways
| Authority | Responsibility | Official link |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry of Education | Schools: basic and secondary education, curricula and the Tawjihi examination. | https://moe.gov.jo/ |
| Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research | Higher-education policy, institution recognition and the official lists of universities. | https://mohe.gov.jo/EN/ |
| Accreditation & Quality Assurance Commission (HEAC) | Programme and institution accreditation in higher education. | https://www.heac.org.jo/ |
| Recognition & Certificates Equivalency Directorate | Equivalency of non-Jordanian qualifications. | https://rce.mohe.gov.jo/en/ |
| Unified Admission Unit | Admission of Jordanian Tawjihi holders to public universities (admhec.gov.jo). | https://admhec.gov.jo/ |
| Study in Jordan portal | The national information and application gateway for international students. | https://studyinjordan.jo/ |
This portal is independent. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a representative of any ministry, authority or institution listed above.
Explore the sector
Each page below is a full guide, not a summary.
School Education in Jordan
Basic and secondary education, curricula, the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination (Tawjihi) and school types
Higher Education in Jordan
Colleges, universities, degree levels, the Unified Admission system and the higher-education regulators
The Universities Sector
Public, private and special-law universities, university colleges and how the sector is organised
Colleges in Jordan
Community colleges, university colleges and intermediate qualifications
Technical Education in Jordan
Applied and technological study, from technical schools to technical universities
Vocational Education in Jordan
Applied secondary pathways, BTEC-style programmes and the shift toward employability skills
Professional Training in Jordan
Certification bodies, short courses and continuing professional development
Arabic Language Education
Arabic inside the school and university system, and Arabic as a subject for non-native speakers
Student Life in Jordan
The practical and human side of studying in Jordan
Editorial note — how this page is written
This section deliberately avoids a list of institutions. Structure explains why one pathway can be right for one student and wrong for another; institution lists without that context are how people end up in the wrong programme.
Sources & verification
Priority order: official Jordanian government authorities → official institution websites → accreditation organisations → official ranking organisations → Visit Jordan → other reliable sources. Claims that could not be verified from these are marked as unverified rather than presented as fact.
- Jordan Ministry of Education https://moe.gov.jo/
- Jordan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research https://mohe.gov.jo/EN/
- Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission https://www.heac.org.jo/
- Recognition & Certificates Equivalency Directorate https://rce.mohe.gov.jo/en/
- Study in Jordan (national higher-education portal) https://studyinjordan.jo/
- Unified Admission Unit — admhec.gov.jo https://admhec.gov.jo/