In line with the UAE’s Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) overhauled its service system in 2025, redesigning services to streamline procedures, expedite processes, improve efficiency and embed a customer-first approach.

MoHESR involved customers, employees and strategic partners in the redesign process through multiple feedback channels, gaining clearer insights into user challenges, enabling employees to propose practical solutions and strengthening collaboration with higher education institutions (HEIs) and key stakeholders.

To fully implement the zero-bureaucracy approach, MoHESR streamlined the entire service system by reducing procedures, visits and documentation, significantly accelerating service delivery and improving the overall user experience.

To enhance customer experience and digital service quality, the Ministry eliminated more than 400 unnecessary procedures and reduced service application fields by more than 200, simplifying digital forms and making services faster, clearer and more efficient.

As part of its digital transformation, MoHESR removed the requirement to submit more than 180 documents, which are now verified automatically through AI-enabled systems and electronic integration with government entities and HEIs, thereby improving accuracy and efficiency and enabling proactive services without manual intervention.

This approach underscores MoHESR’s shift from counting procedures to maximising value and experience quality, in line with the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme and with the aim of delivering integrated, customer-centric digital services.

MoHESR streamlined 22 processes, cutting procedural steps from 207 to 84 and form fields from 479 to 119, significantly accelerating completion times and enhancing the user experience.

This effort supports a broader vision to deliver an integrated digital experience that simplifies procedures for HEIs and improves the student journey from enrolment to graduation and workforce readiness. This is through a smart, proactive system that integrates data across stakeholders and is supported by flexible, innovation-driven regulatory frameworks aligned with future labour market needs.

The redesign of institutional licensing and academic programme accreditation services stands out as a clear example of the Ministry’s zero bureaucracy efforts. A comprehensive review of policies and procedures eliminated unnecessary requirements and introduced an outcomes-based evaluation framework, replacing the traditional input-focused approach.

As a result, documentation for new programme accreditation was reduced from 13 documents to one; steps were cut from 13 to three; completion time dropped from six months to just seven days; site visits were eliminated; and costs were reduced by 100% from the previous AED70,000.

These enhancements led to the accreditation of more than 850 new academic programmes under the improved system, achieving 60% growth in less than a year. Additionally, more than 25 new HEIs were licensed and accredited, increasing the total number of accredited institutions by 54% and reinforcing the UAE’s status as a regional and global hub for world-class universities.

To enhance the student experience, the Ministry redesigned the student admission service, cutting steps by 64%, required documents by 63% and application time from 15 minutes to just 90 seconds. This delivered a seamless digital process and achieved an 89% student satisfaction rate.

Additionally, more than 65 universities were integrated into the National Unified Registration System, which was expanded to include students in Grade 10 and Grade 11. This led to the highest student enrolment rate in a decade, marking a 13% increase year-on-year and supporting earlier, more transparent academic planning.

In a move toward fully proactive services with zero procedures, MoHESR launched a digital automatic recognition service for qualifications issued by UAE-based HEIs, eliminating all paperwork, procedures and visits and cutting processing time from three days to instantaneous. This was made possible through smart verification technologies and direct integration with HEIs. Since its launch, more than 25,000 graduates have used the service, with 34 HEIs connected to the system. The Ministry plans to expand it to Emirati students on scholarships abroad, ensuring seamless access to government services from anywhere around the world.

These initiatives offer a practical model for zero government bureaucracy, shifting the focus from procedures to user experience and sustainable outcomes and creating a more flexible, efficient higher education system ready for future demands.

During the next phase, MoHESR will expand this approach by integrating more services into its zero government bureaucracy system, advancing digital and proactive solutions and promoting a culture of continuous improvement and innovation that supports the UAE’s vision of a world-class government and higher education system capable of preparing future generations and driving the knowledge economy.