AMMAN - The government on Tuesday encouraged Jordanian high school graduates to test a new online university application system starting next week.
As of this summer, students applying for public universities across the Kingdom will be using the new online system, rather than mailing their applications as has been the norm since 1989, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Walid Maani said.
In a press conference yesterday to announce the launch of the online system, he said it was designed to avoid dozens of steps that students and government personnel go through each year in sending, receiving and sorting thousands of applications.
"I believe this will save a lot of time that used to be spent in manually sorting the applications... up to 75 per cent of the time previously needed," Maani told reporters.
Under the new system, each student finishing high school inside the country or in other Arab states will have to submit an online application using a PIN code, which will be sold as a JD15 prepaid card at 352 post offices across Jordan, the minister explained.
He said certain "security measures" have been taken to guarantee that no one other than the student is able to access or submit their online application, adding that students' personal information from the Civil Status and Passports Department will be used to verify their identity.
The new system is intended only for Jordanian students who have passed the General Secondary School Certificate Examination (Tawjihi), in addition to citizens who have completed secondary school in other Arab countries, he noted.
The system allows students to explore the universities and majors they are eligible to apply for based on their averages, Maani added.
"If your average is below the minimum required for a certain faculty, you will not be allowed to choose this faculty as one of your options," the official pointed out, adding that this will help limit the cases of "miss-selection" where students choose majors that do not match their averages.
The website also contains university admissions criteria, minimum required averages over the past three years for various faculties, as well as the number of students with averages in given categories.
The system also details the areas covered by the major and work opportunities in the field of study.
Between May 9 and 17, students can submit mock applications on the website, www.admhec.gov.jo, a precursor to the online system.
At the end of the trial application process, students can post their opinions and suggestions regarding the new system, Maani said.
After the announcement of the summer Tawjihi session results, expected in July, high school graduates will be able to apply to their desired universities online.
The German-Jordanian University (GJU) is the only public higher education institution that is not included in the unified admissions service. Students wishing to enrol at the GJU must go to the university's premises in Amman.
By Thameen Kheetan
© Jordan Times 2010
