Latest news with #HEAC
Times of Oman
5 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Military Technological College welcomes new batch of students
Muscat: The Military Technological College on Wednesday welcomed a new batch of General Diploma students admitted through the Higher Education Admission Centre (HEAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, as part of the study coupled with employment program. The students will complete the essential admission requirements, including written tests, medical examinations, and personal interviews. Studies at the college begin with a foundation year, which includes courses in English, mathematics, physics, and computer science, preparing students to join specialised engineering programmes. Their academic track includes practical training in laboratories and workshops, tailored to each student's specialisation. Students are distributed among the main specialisations based on their personal preferences, academic performance in the foundation programme, and the needs of their affiliated institution, which serves as a primary criterion. Upon completing three years of specialised engineering studies, the Military Technological College awards an Advanced Diploma qualification. This year, the college opened admissions for non-employment-linked studies for both male and female students, providing on-campus housing for male students and dedicated transportation services for female students. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive educational environment that meets their needs. The new batch of students admitted under this track is expected to arrive in the coming days.
Times of Oman
6 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
HEAC announces candidates for admission tests, interviews, and medical examinations
Muscat: The Higher Education Admission Centre (HEAC) at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation today announced the list of students selected to undergo admission tests, personal interviews, and medical examinations for 123 academic programs requiring these assessments for the 2025/2026 academic year. The centre contacted 6,367 male and female students via SMS to notify them of the programs they have been shortlisted for and to provide them with necessary guidelines and information for this stage. The total number of available seats across these programs is 2,617. The center clarified that being shortlisted does not guarantee admission into a program. Final acceptance depends on the results of interviews, tests, or medical examinations as determined by the educational institution, the number of available seats, and the student's competitive scores compared to other successful candidates. Additionally, failure to attend the interview or test—whether due to travel or other reasons—will be considered a withdrawal from the selection process for these programs. The preference modification phase for the 2025/2026 academic year concluded last Thursday, with a total of 43,060 successful applicants registered—20,081 male and 22,979 female students. The center will announce the results of the initial sorting on the evening of Tuesday, 19 August 2025. Students will then have until 12:00 PM on Sunday, 25 August to complete their registration procedures at higher education institutions.
Observer
30-07-2025
- General
- Observer
Requests for admission modifications end on Thursday
MUSCAT: The Higher Education Admission Center (HEAC) of the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, continues to receive preference modification requests for undergraduate admissions for the 2025/2026 academic year, with this phase remaining open until Thursday evening. The centre reported that the number of successfully registered students as of Tuesday morning reached 42,907 (19,988 males and 22,919 females). Among them, 41,027 students have listed their programme preferences for government higher education institutions, domestic scholarships, private-sector-funded grants for private institutions, external scholarships, and grants from friendly nations for the 2025/2026 academic year. Within the same context, the HEAC announced the opening of registration for the Omani Cultural and Scientific Cooperation Program for the 2025/2026 academic year, starting from Thursday, August 21. Admission results will be announced on August 28. The programme offers tuition-free scholarships for students from Arab and friendly nations residing in Oman who have completed Grade 12 in Omani government or international schools. These scholarships are for studies at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), which has allocated seats for non-Omani children of its employees in recognition of their contributions and to support their children's higher education opportunities. — ONA
Observer
21-07-2025
- Business
- Observer
You can change higher ed preference from today
MUSCAT: The preference modification phase for registration and admission for the 2025/2026 academic year will begin today and continue until July 31. The results of the initial sorting will be announced on August 19, while accepted students will have the opportunity to complete their procedures starting from August 19 until August 24. 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.
Times of Oman
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Preference modification phase for new academic year registration, admission to begin tomorrow
Muscat: The preference modification phase for registration and admission for the 2025/2026 academic year will begin tomorrow 'Tuesday' and continue until Thursday 31 July. The results of the initial sorting will be announced on the evening of Tuesday, 19 August, while accepted students will have the opportunity to complete their procedures starting from Tuesday, 19 August until noon on Sunday 24 August. Ahmed 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 finalize their program 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 programs. Regarding admission procedures, the center will launch this year a self-funded admission system, regulating student admissions at Sultan Qaboos University on a self-financed basis, in addition to educational specialization programs at private higher education institutions within Oman (Sohar University, Nizwa University, Dhofar University, and the University of Al Sharqiyah). The center has issued a student guide detailing all information related to this system, coinciding with the preference modification phase. Registration under this system will open after the initial sorting. Additionally, he noted that updates to the Unified Admission System include the launch of a complaint submission service on the Unified Government Services Portal, reinforcing government efforts to facilitate access to e-services and streamline transactions through a single platform. As for academic program updates, he pointed out that higher education institutions (scholarship providers) have aligned programs with labour market demands. New domestic scholarship programs 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 specializations 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 specializations 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 Licenses have been introduced at the Oman Aviation Academy. He noted that government higher education institutions have expanded their programs and specializations. 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 specialization at its branch in Musandam Governorate. The university has also introduced a an advantage for social security family students, allowing them to apply without allocated seats in engineering programs; upon acceptance, they may choose the nearest branch of the university to their residence. He explained that the Higher Education Admission Centre had earlier announced the trial sorting results this month, noting some common errors among applicants. Al Azri emphasized that students can avoid these issues, which negatively impact their admission chances—particularly high-achieving students. The trial sorting results showed that 1,936 students with an 80% grade or higher did not receive a preliminary program offer. 76% of them had listed too few preferences, focusing on highly competitive, limited specializations. Additionally, 247 students with a 90% grade or higher did not receive a preliminary offer, with 84% of them listing fewer than 30 preferences. This highlights the need for students to include more program options and diversify their choices across institutions and disciplines. In conclusion, Al Azri urged students to maximize their program selections (meeting admission requirements) and prioritize them by preference to enhance their chances of securing a seat. He also stressed the importance of diversifying choices across institutions and specializations and encouraged following the center's website for updates on registration and admission stages.
