Muscat: The Higher Education Admission Centre (HEAC) today announced the results of the first sorting of students vying for seats in higher education institutions during the forthcoming Academic Year (2025/2026). As many as 27,537 male and female students received admission after the sorting of holders of the 2024/2025 General Education Diploma (GED) and equivalent qualifications.
According to Oman News Agency, Ahmed Mohammed Al Azri, Director General of the HEAC under the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, stated that government higher education institutions accommodated the largest number of students who received admission, equivalent to 56.3%. Additionally, 41.4% of students secured admission through internal scholarships and study grants in private higher education institutions, while 2.3% received scholarships and study grants abroad.
Al Azri noted that 95% of the seats were filled during the first round, with 5% remaining vacant due to a shortage of students meeting the admission r
equirements. The total number of successful applicants stood at 43,145, with 9,432 achieving a general average of 90% or higher, and 20,383 obtaining a general average of 80% or higher.
He explained that educational specializations saw high competition, with the average scores for educational specializations at Sultan Qaboos University reaching 92.3% among males and 97.5% among females. At the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, the average competitive scores were 93% for males and 97.5% for females.
In private higher education institutions, excluding seats allocated to the ‘programme for localizing teaching positions in remote villages’, the average competitive rates for educational majors were 91.2 for males and 97.4 for females. For ‘flexible programmes for scholarships abroad’, the latest acceptance rate was 98.2 for the STEM programme and 97.25 for the ESAM programme.
Al Azri highlighted that students admitted to ‘flexible programmes in internal scholarships’ have the freedom to choose thei
r preferred private higher education institution and specializations from the student handbook. These scholarships are designated for study within the Sultanate of Oman.
Regarding the selection mechanism for desired institutions, students can access the specializations on their registration pages in the Admission System from 19 to 21 August 2025. After the first round, HEAC will launch the Private-Funded Admission System for students wishing to study at their own expense at Sultan Qaboos University and private institutions including Sohar University, Nizwa University, Dhofar University, and Al Sharqiyah University.
Registration in this system will be open from 25 August until 3 September, with shortlisted candidates for admission tests announced on 31 August 2025, and the sorting results released on 1 September 2025. HEAC will offer a selection modification service for students contesting vacant seats from 15 to 16 September 2025, open to all students regardless of their status in the first round.
Al Azri
advised students wishing to submit grievances to do so through the Government Services Portal.