The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research sets the national framework, while the Higher Education Council coordinates admission rules, study periods, examinations and accreditation requirements. University councils manage curricula, examinations, degrees, transfers and student affairs. The National Authority for Quality and Accreditation handles quality and accreditation matters, and the Directorate of Degree Equivalence reviews foreign qualifications. Public universities include institutions such as جامعة دمشق, جامعة حلب, جامعة اللاذقية, جامعة حمص, جامعة حماة, جامعة طرطوس, جامعة الفرات, جامعة إدلب and the Syrian Virtual University. Legacy sources may use the names جامعة تشرين and جامعة البعث for institutions now referred to as جامعة اللاذقية and جامعة حمص. Private universities and higher institutes operate under the applicable Ministry rules. Technical institutes and applied colleges form a separate tertiary pathway coordinated through the Supreme Council for Technical Education. Specialized security and defense institutions established in 2026 follow sector-specific admission and study rules rather than the standard civilian pathway. Programs cover medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, health sciences, veterinary medicine, engineering, information and communication technology, applied technology, natural sciences, agriculture, business, economics, law, education, humanities, social sciences, media, arts, sports, tourism, hospitality and languages. Most programs teach in Arabic, although some departments and courses use another language. Technical and applied programs may use English. Study may be regular and campus-based, parallel and fee-paying within a public university, open education, or virtual and online through the Syrian Virtual University. The main public admission process is the electronic مفاضلة, a centralized preference and merit placement system. An applicant submits a preference card, and placement considers the secondary-school examination score, the relevant branch, annual program thresholds and available capacity. Scientific, literary, vocational and شرعي branches do not provide identical access to every program. A secondary certificate therefore gives access only to programs matching the branch and the annual admission rules; it does not guarantee a place. Architecture, fine arts, sports and selected applied or technical programs may also require entrance tests. Vocational-secondary graduates can enter selected technical institutes or applied colleges, but their qualification does not provide blanket access to every university program. Private institutions use annual Ministry or authorized-institution admission rules, while foreign certificates require validation or equivalence. The general public track is state-financed and usually has low registration or administrative fees. The parallel public track charges substantially higher tuition for the same or comparable public programs. Private universities set annual tuition schedules by institution and program, and the Syrian Virtual University charges tuition. Technical and applied fees depend on the specific program. Exact Syrian pound amounts, thresholds, available programs and application dates change through annual decisions, so the current Ministry admission guide and the institution's notice control the concrete case. University councils set academic calendars, examination dates, holidays and study periods. Assessment can include written, oral, practical or clinical examinations, depending on the program. Some curricula require internships, practical training, a graduation project or research. Postgraduate programs may require a thesis or dissertation. Supplementary examinations, repeat registration, interruption, return, withdrawal and transfers follow university and Ministry rules. A technical institute program commonly leads to a two-year technical diploma or associate-type qualification. An إجازة is a university qualification broadly comparable to a bachelor's degree and usually takes four to six years depending on the discipline; medicine and some other fields have longer or distinct structures. A qualification or specialization diploma commonly takes about one year, while a master's degree commonly takes about two years. Doctoral study follows postgraduate qualification and has program-specific conditions and duration. Technical diploma holders may continue or upgrade only where the applicable program rules allow it. Public universities provide academic and administrative support through student affairs offices, university councils and related services. University cities may provide subsidized basic accommodation. The Union of Syrian Students participates in university life under university governance. No general national student-loan scheme or universal transport and textbook grant is evidenced. Scholarships and exchanges are announced through Ministry cultural-relations channels, donor-country programs and scientific missions. Medical, dentistry and pharmacy graduates may later enter unified national placement or competition procedures; a 2026 Ministry notice used a weighting of 60% degree average and 40% unified written national examination for covered graduates, but the applicable rules can change by field and year.
Study in Syria
Higher education in Syria includes public and private universities, the Syrian Virtual University, higher institutes, technical institutes and applied colleges. Admission depends on the secondary-school branch, examination results, program thresholds, capacity, location and any required entrance test. Study can lead to technical diplomas, an إجازة, master's degrees or doctorates, with fees and admission rules varying by track and institution.
Tip
Choose a program only after checking your secondary-school branch, score, annual threshold, capacity, location, language and any entrance test. Compare the general public, parallel, private, open and virtual options by total cost, study format and qualification, and rely on the current annual admission guide because fees, thresholds and available programs change.