The National Unified Admission Platform, "Qabool," has announced the official timeline for university admission procedures and scholarship programs for the upcoming academic year 1448 AH. This announcement provides a clear roadmap for high school graduates aspiring to gain admission to public universities, technical colleges, or to join overseas scholarship programs, with the first procedural phase commencing on November 5th.
Digital transformation in education: The context of unified admissions
The launch of the early admissions schedule via the “Qubool” platform comes as part of the Saudi Ministry of Education’s strategy to enhance digital transformation and streamline admissions procedures. This platform represents a significant leap forward in the history of higher education in the Kingdom, aiming to unify efforts and facilitate the student’s journey from secondary school to university life. Instead of being scattered across different university portals, the platform provides a single window that ensures fairness and transparency in allocating seats based on merit and weighted scores, aligning with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 for developing the education system.
Details of the timeline and the 11 phases
The platform revealed a detailed timeline comprising 11 consecutive stages to ensure the process runs smoothly, as follows:
- The first phase (entering preferences): It starts on November 5 and continues until June 24, and allows students to review the majors and arrange their preferences early.
- The second phase (external scholarships): It begins from January 10 to May 7, and is concerned with applying for the “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program”.
- Phase Three (Interviews and Tests): Extends from April 1 to July 5 to conduct personal interviews for specializations that require them.
- Critical stages (data and results update): June 1st is the deadline for data update, while June 9th is set as the last date for the achievement test, and June 30th for the general aptitude test.
Announcing results and confirming acceptance
The pace of the process intensifies in July, with the platform allocating the period from June 28 to July 9 to display available opportunities to students based on their competitive scores. This lengthy journey culminates in the final stage, dedicated to announcing the final admission results and confirming places, which will take place from July 14 to 16.
The importance of punctuality and its impact
This announcement is of paramount importance to students and parents locally, as the early schedule provides ample opportunity to prepare for the standardized tests (aptitude and achievement) that are essential for competing for specialized fields such as medicine and engineering. This arrangement also helps reduce student stress by providing a clear timeline and assists educational institutions in planning their capacity in advance, which will positively impact the quality of higher education outcomes in the Kingdom.
