New fields test the readiness of 'Unified Admission'

The challenge stands out with the multiplicity of applicant categories and the diversity of procedures for admission, transfer, and poor choice, in addition to the need to update data and link majors to study fields and competition conditions. The increase in seats in some majors, especially medical ones, also raises questions about the balance between expanding enrollment opportunities and maintaining the quality of education and training.

For his part, expert and consultant in educational affairs Faisal Tayeh emphasized that the success of the admission season for the 2026–2027 academic year is not measured only by the speed of processing applications or announcing results, but by the accuracy of applying instructions, the clarity of options available to students, and the consistency of published data with actual competition conditions.

In an interview with "Alrai", Tayeh said that the amendments related to the new fields and tracks impose additional technical and administrative burdens on the admission system, as every change requires reviewing databases, electronic systems, and guidelines that the student relies on when submitting their application, to ensure that the implemented procedures are consistent with the approved decisions.

He added that technical readiness is not limited to the website's ability to receive applications, but includes verifying the eligibility of each student to apply, showing the majors to which the conditions apply, and ensuring the integrity and updating of data, in addition to the system's ability to deal with usage pressure and provide the necessary support during the application stages.

Regarding admission indicators, Tayeh pointed out that the number of students nominated for admission to bachelor's programs at public universities reached 46,355 male and female students in the 2026-2027 academic year, compared to 46,566 in the previous year, and 44,925 in the 2024-2025 academic year. More than 56 percent of the nominated students also received one of their first five choices.

He believed that these figures provide initial indicators of the results of the admission process, but they are not enough on their own to judge its efficiency or the fairness of competition opportunities, unless they are accompanied by data clarifying the distribution of students across majors, the number of available seats, the averages of applicants, and the extent to which their desires match eligibility conditions.

He stressed the need to read admission results within their full context, as the number of nominees alone does not reveal the volume of competition in each major, and a student receiving one of their first choices does not by itself represent a comprehensive criterion for evaluating their experience.

He called for providing more detailed data that helps in understanding admission trends and comparing results between seasons according to clear criteria.

Regarding the new fields and tracks system, Tayeh explained that the study track has become an influential factor in determining the university majors that a student can apply to, which makes choosing a field a decision whose impact extends beyond the high school stage.

He emphasized that this requires strengthening academic and career guidance within schools, and providing students, before choosing their tracks, with clear information about the majors that each field allows and the requirements for enrollment in them, so that they can build their decisions on prior knowledge, away from inaccurate expectations or discovering restrictions when submitting an admission application.

He added that the responsibility of guidance does not stop at introducing students to the tracks, but includes clarifying their impact on their subsequent university choices, and helping them arrange their preferences according to their averages and actual competition conditions, noting that coordination between schools and the authorities concerned with admission and guidance represents a key element in reducing confusion among students and their parents.

He indicated that the amendments related to transfer options and the addition of new majors impose executive requirements in turn, as he pointed to the opening of the application period on September 26, 2026, and the addition of 16 majors to the transfer options.

According to the conditions stated in the announcement, a student can submit three options, provided they meet the minimum competitive admission average according to the certificate category and the availability of a vacancy in the required major, with the exception of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and doctor of pharmacy majors for the categories covered by the announcement.

Tayeh emphasized that making a major available electronically does not mean guaranteeing admission to it, as nomination remains linked to eligibility conditions, competitive average, and available vacancies, which requires clarifying the difference between the right to apply for a major and the actual competition opportunities for its seats.

In the area of digital transparency, Tayeh pointed out that updating the Unified Admission Coordination Unit website and providing data on majors and minimum competitive admission averages for the previous five years, in addition to frequently asked questions, guidelines, and explanatory videos about submitting applications and paying fees electronically, would facilitate students' access to information and help them make more informed decisions.

He added that announcing results via the website, text messages, and the "Sanad" application for the first time expands the channels for students to access their results, but the multiplicity of these channels is not enough on its own to achieve transparency unless it is accompanied by the modernity, accuracy, and clarity of information, and the distinction between indicative data and approved admission conditions. He pointed out that the map of available programs, according to the data contained in the announcement, includes 607 bachelor's majors in nine public universities, in addition to the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, and 206 intermediate diploma majors, which makes updating information related to these programs and enrollment requirements a necessity to help students compare and arrange their preferences.

He explained that the minimum admission averages in previous years help in understanding competition trends, but they do not represent a guarantee that the same averages will be repeated in the new season, given that results are linked to the number of applicants, their averages, their preference rankings, and the available capacity.

Regarding capacity, Tayeh pointed out the increase in the number of seats designated for admission to the medicine major within the regular program at public universities from 640 to 840 seats, and the increase in dentistry seats from 320 to 400 seats, in addition to other increases in the parallel program and private universities according to the announced decision.

He believed that expanding enrollment opportunities in medical majors should be accompanied by planning that ensures the universities' ability to accommodate the additional numbers without affecting the quality of education and training, by providing faculty members, laboratories, appropriate facilities, and clinical and practical training opportunities.

He emphasized the importance of distinguishing between the responsibility of implementing admission and the responsibility of setting policies and determining capacity, explaining that the role of the Unified Admission Coordination Unit is to apply the approved numbers, foundations, and instructions, while the competent authorities are responsible for determining policies and capacity according to planning considerations and available capabilities.

He added that the success of this system is linked to the integration of roles, so that decisions are applicable, and the increase in the number of admitted students is based on an actual ability to provide education and training of appropriate quality, not on numerical expansion in isolation from the requirements of university programs.

Tayeh pointed out that the multiple tasks of the Unified Admission Coordination Unit, which include competitive admission to bachelor's and intermediate diploma programs, royal scholarships, special categories, outstanding students, bridging applications, and transfer and poor choice procedures, impose the need to strengthen coordination between technical and administrative teams, universities, and relevant official authorities.

He explained that auditing data and certificates, updating software and databases, applying eligibility conditions, and following up on inquiries represent interconnected links that cannot be separated from each other, confirming that the clarity of responsibilities and the integrity of information exchange contribute to reducing errors and improving the efficiency of procedures.

In the context of institutional developments, Tayeh believed that the establishment of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development under Law No. 13 of 2026, according to the information contained in the article, enhances the importance of coordination between school education, higher education, and human resources planning, in light of the increasing link between study tracks and university majors.

He emphasized that the real impact of any institutional change should be reflected in improving coordination, integrating information, and linking decisions to implementation, not just in modifying administrative structures.

Tayeh stressed that developing the unified admission system requires viewing it as an integrated path that begins with school guidance and choosing the study field, passes through clarifying major requirements, submitting the application, and managing competition, and ends with announcing results and clarifying subsequent procedures, emphasizing that the true criterion for the success of development is the student's ability to access reliable information, understand the options available to them, and ensure that instructions are applied accurately and consistently, in parallel with maintaining the quality of university education.