You can change higher ed preference from today
Ahmed bin Mohammed al Azri, Director-General of the Higher Education Admission Centre (HEAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, stated that the number of available seats received from government higher education institutions, domestic scholarships, private sector grants for private higher education institutions, and external scholarships and grants from Arab countries for the 2025/2026 academic year has reached 29,252 seats. Of these, 16,884 seats are in various government higher education institutions, 607 are for external scholarships and grants, while the number of domestic scholarships and grants for study at private universities and colleges in the Sultanate of Oman stands at 11,761.
He added that the preference modification phase is one of the most critical stages of registration, allowing students to finalise their programme choices in the system for the initial sorting competition. He noted that the updates this year focus on two main aspects, namely admission procedures and academic programmes.
As for academic programme updates, he pointed out that higher education institutions (scholarship providers) have aligned programmes with labour market demands. New domestic scholarship programmes for bachelor's degrees include Emergency Medical Services Science, Environmental Management and Practices, and Human Medicine at Dhofar University. Domestic scholarships have also been introduced for students with learning difficulties to study at private higher education institutions.
Al Azri further added that new external scholarships have been introduced for specialisations overseen by the External Scholarships Department at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, such as Healthcare, Health Planning, Health Risk Management, Therapeutic Nutrition, Law and Actuarial Studies.
He said that the ministry, represented by the Domestic Scholarships Department, has also directed scholarships toward high-demand specialisations in the labour market, including Process Engineering, Production Operations, Occupational Health and Safety, Welding, Mining, Renewable Energy, Quality Control Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management and Legal Assistant Studies. Additionally, new professional diploma scholarships for Air Transport Pilot Licences have been introduced at the Oman Aviation Academy.
He noted that government higher education institutions have expanded their programmes and specialisations. The Military Technological College has increased its capacity this year, opening admissions for female students alongside males in various engineering disciplines (bearing in mind that these are not coupled with employment). The University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) has added a new engineering specialisation at its branch in Musandam Governorate. The university has also introduced an advantage for social security family students, allowing them to apply without allocated seats in engineering programmes; upon acceptance, they may choose the nearest branch of the university to their residence.
The trial sorting results showed that 1,936 students with an 80 per cent grade or higher did not receive a preliminary programme offer. 76 per cent of them had listed too few preferences, focusing on highly competitive, limited specialisations.
Additionally, 247 students with a 90 per cent grade or higher did not receive a preliminary offer, with 84 per cent of them listing fewer than 30 preferences. This highlights the need for students to include more programme options and diversify their choices across institutions and disciplines.
Al Azri urged students to maximise their programme selections (meeting admission requirements) and prioritise them by preference to enhance their chances of securing a seat. He also stressed the importance of diversifying choices across institutions and specialisations and encouraged following the centre's website for updates on registration and admission stages.
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