At a glance
- Issued by
- Saudi Ministry of Education
- Key condition
- Accredited school and regular attendance
- Attestation
- Issuing education ministry, foreign ministry, Saudi embassy or cultural attaché
- Secondary certificates
- Via regional education departments, processed through Aamali
- Lower grades
- Equated by education departments, then placed in a grade
The Ministry's conditions
From the Ministry's regulations for equating non-university certificates for students coming from abroad.
| Condition | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| School accredited by the education authority in its country | Check accreditation before enrolling, especially for private or online schools |
| Secondary certificate recognised by universities in the issuing country | A school-leaving certificate that local universities do not accept will not be equated |
| Study in regular attendance with clear progression, with previous grades documented | Distance or home study certificates are at risk; keep every year's certificate |
| Original documents authenticated by the issuing education ministry, foreign ministry and Saudi embassy or cultural attaché | Do this before leaving the country where the certificate was issued |
| Certified translation for documents not in Arabic or English | English certificates do not need translation |
| No erasures or changes; name matches ID, family record, iqama or passport | Spelling differences between documents cause delays |
How the process works
Secondary school certificates are equated by visiting the education department for your region or governorate. The department forwards the documents electronically to the Ministry through the Aamali system; if they meet the conditions, the equivalency is processed and returned through the system for collection.
Certificates for transfer grades below the third year of secondary school are equated by the education departments themselves, and the student is placed directly in the appropriate grade based on the equivalency decision. Affiliation students who are residents or visitors go through the same admission and equivalency conditions before being accepted into a grade.
Certificates the Ministry asks for by grade
| Joining | Certificates required |
|---|---|
| Primary, first intermediate, first secondary | The last study certificate |
| Second intermediate | Primary sixth grade certificate |
| Third intermediate | Intermediate second year certificate |
| Second secondary | Intermediate third year and secondary first year certificates |
| Third secondary | Intermediate third year and secondary second year certificates |
From the Ministry's admission conditions for students from abroad. Students with a gap in study need an official statement or a guardian's declaration covering the gap.
Common traps
The regular-attendance condition is the one most families miss. Online international schools, home study and part-time programmes may be accredited abroad but still struggle to meet it, so check with the Ministry before relying on them for a Saudi certificate or university place.
Vocational secondary certificates are another trap: the Ministry does not equate certificates for secondary transfer grades from vocational specialisations, and a student who already holds a final secondary or vocational secondary qualification cannot repeat secondary school in the Kingdom. And attestation is far easier from inside the issuing country, so do it before you move.
A checklist before you apply
- Collect originals of every recent certificate and transcript, not just the last one.
- Attest them with the issuing country's education ministry, then its foreign ministry, then the Saudi embassy or cultural attaché.
- Get certified translations for anything not in Arabic or English.
- Check that names match passport, iqama and family record exactly.
- Take the documents to your regional education department, or ask your new school which office handles transfer grades.
- For university, plan Qudurat and Tahsili alongside equivalency, as Saudi universities rank applicants on a weighted score that uses them.
International curricula and Saudi universities
Students finishing IGCSE and A-Levels, the IB or an American diploma abroad need their secondary certificate equated before applying to Saudi universities, and most Saudi programmes also use the General Aptitude Test (Qudurat) and, for many, the Achievement Test (Tahsili) in a weighted score. Each university sets its own weights and any extra conditions, so read the admission pages for the programmes you are considering.
How one-to-one lessons help
Equivalency is paperwork, but the move it usually accompanies is academic: joining a Saudi school mid-way, or preparing for Qudurat and Tahsili after an international curriculum. A tutor can close the gaps in the subjects that change most between systems, usually maths and the sciences, and prepare the quantitative and verbal sections of Qudurat.
LiveTutor lessons are one to one, 60 minutes, online, after school in Saudi time. Arabic-speaking tutors are available for some subjects, ask when you book.
Common questions
Who needs certificate equivalency in Saudi Arabia?
Students coming from outside the Kingdom or from education systems different from the Saudi system, both to join a Saudi school at the right grade and to use a secondary certificate for further study.
What attestation is required?
Original documents authenticated by the education ministry or supervising authority in the issuing country, that country's foreign ministry, and the Saudi embassy or cultural attaché, with certified translation if they are not in Arabic or English.
Where do I apply?
Secondary certificates are submitted at the education department for your region or governorate, which forwards them to the Ministry through the Aamali system. Lower grades are equated by the education departments directly.
Are online school certificates equated?
They may not be. The Ministry requires study in regular attendance at a school accredited in its own country. Check with the Ministry before relying on an online school.
How much do LiveTutor lessons cost?
$15 a lesson, the same for every subject and level, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. The first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.
- Saudi Ministry of Education: regulations and procedures for equivalency of non-university certificates for students coming from abroad
- Saudi Ministry of Education: conditions for accepting non-Saudi students, documents by grade
- Saudi Ministry of Education: admission of foreign students by stage
- Saudi Ministry of Education: Saudi schools abroad and accredited foreign schools
- Saudi Ministry of Education: affiliation for residents and visitors