Students have until Oct 24 to apply for 2,894 seats

MUSCAT, OCT 18
Students who missed out on a place in the first round of higher education admissions have until Saturday, October 24, to apply for 2,894 seats in the second round for the 2026/2027 academic year, including newly introduced engineering scholarships for students on the vocational and technical pathway.
Registration with the Unified Admission Centre (UAC) at the Ministry of Education opened on Sunday. Admission tests and personal interviews for programmes that require them will take place from October 28 to November 1, and results will be announced on the evening of November 3.
The seats are new and vacant places at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS), Oman College of Health Sciences, vocational colleges and other higher education programmes, as well as internal and external scholarships. They are listed in the supplementary Student Guide for 2026/2027, published on the centre's official website and social media platforms.
Bassam bin Sulaiman al Hasani, Head of Guidance and Counselling at the UAC, said the vacancies covered most higher education institutions and urged eligible students to make sure their applications were submitted correctly before the deadline.
The second round is open to students who completed their General Education Diploma in the 2025/2026 academic year and did not previously register with the centre, those who were not offered a place in the first round and those who received offers but did not complete their registration, Al Hasani said. Students who enrolled in a higher education institution and later withdrew, and those studying at their own expense, may also apply if they meet the admission requirements. Students who have secured places and completed their registration are not eligible.
Admission to some programmes remains competitive. Applicants for SQU, external scholarships and specified health and education programmes must have a competitive score equal to or higher than that of the last student admitted to the programme in the first round, and must meet all other programme requirements, Al Hasani noted.
The new engineering scholarships are intended to widen opportunities for students on the vocational and technical pathway at vocational colleges to continue their studies in engineering.
Applicants must re-enter every programme they wish to compete for, as preferences submitted in earlier stages will not carry over to the new application page. The centre advised students to check their eligibility through the 'Enter and View Programmes' screen on its online registration system.
Students with qualifications equivalent to the General Education Diploma, including international qualifications obtained inside or outside Oman, must upload copies of their academic transcripts, identity cards and equivalency certificates issued by the Ministry of Education through their registration accounts.
The centre called on eligible students to review the admission requirements, observe the registration deadlines and follow updates on its official website and social media channels.