Oman is highly ranked on several important indices for students and residents. Some highlights include:
There are 19 Universities in Oman. These are mostly private institutions, and are spread across the three largest cities in the country, with approximately 75% of them located in the capital and largest city of Muscat. The two kinds of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country are:
1. Public Universities: There are three Government-run HEIs in Oman: Sultan Qaboos University, the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, and the College of Sharia Sciences. These are among the oldest educational institutions in the country, and have high funding and nearly unlimited resources due to their public funding.
2. Private Universities: There are 16 Private Universities in Oman, They are primarily financed by capital invested by private business people, but they are also given tax exemptions and loans by the Government of Oman. They are important centers of continuing education in the country.
There are several types of Certificate programs offered by Universities in Oman, including short term language courses (for both tourists and international students), and long term continuing and vocational education courses, to ensure that adults are able to develop their skills while part of the workforce. There are also technical training programs for high school graduates who wish to start working as soon as possible.
Universities in Oman offer full time Bachelor's degree programs in several disciplines. BA degree programs last three years, whereas undergraduate programs in engineering and medicine normally take 4 or 6 years to complete. These degrees emphasize foundational skills in the chosen discipline, and there is flexibility to choose one's major in the second year of education. Employability is another major focus area, with multiple job opportunities available for graduating students, in different fields.
All Universities in Oman offer postgraduate Master’s programs in addition to Bachelor’s courses. They are run in both physical full time and remote e-learning part time modes. They involve both theoretical and practical training in advanced disciplines of study. Students must successfully defend their Master’s thesis before a panel of external examiners in order to be awarded a postgraduate degree.
International students in Oman may complete their PhD degree in either full time or part time mode. These research oriented doctoral programs take three to five years to complete. Students work under the supervision of a faculty guide to complete an original work of research, and publish their findings before the final PhD thesis defense.
Chemistry | Clinical Medicine | Plant and Animal Science |
Cost Accounting | Mechanical Engineering | Islamic Finance |
Public Relations | Business Management | Criminal Justice |
Arabic Linguistics | Petroleum Engineering | Applied Mathematics |
Industrial Operations | History of the Middle East | Transport and Logistics |
Here are some popular cities that have the most universities in Oman.
The name of the city | No. of Universities |
Muscat | 13 |
Seeb | 3 |
Salalah | 3 |
Tuition fees in Oman are, on average, higher for international students than for domestic candidates. For example, in Sultan Qaboos University, the average annual fees are 4,000 OMR (10,300 USD) for international students, which are comparable to fees in the top Universities in Europe. Scholarships are available based on academic merit.
Living costs are also relatively high, especially in the capital city of Muscat. A single bedroom in a shared apartment has an average accommodation cost of 200 OMR per month, whereas University accommodation is more economical. Students will also spend a few hundred OMR monthly on food, transportation, and personal items.
Applicants for a long term Oman Student Visa must submit the following documents to their college. The list may vary from institution to institution: