Jordan has a small but established higher-education system: according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs study-in-Jordan page it comprises 39 institutions (10 public universities, 18 private universities, 8 community colleges, 2 universities under special laws and 1 regional university), and about 51,647 non-Jordanian students from 113 nationalities were enrolled. Most degrees use a credit-hour system, with a bachelor's degree normally lasting four years (five for dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, engineering and architecture; six for medicine and Doctor of Pharmacy), a master's at least two years and a doctorate at least three. Instruction in many programmes is in Arabic; English is used in a number of scientific, engineering and graduate programmes, but the language of each programme has to be checked with the university.
Non-Jordanian students apply through the unified electronic portal studyinjordan.jo, which is run by the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development. Public universities accept foreign students only through this portal, while private universities may be applied to through the portal or directly. The application fee is 35 JD (about 50 USD) regardless of how many of the up to ten choices are listed. For first-semester 2026/2027 the portal's deadline was 8 October 2026 for public institutions and 15 October 2026 for private ones. Bachelor's applicants need a secondary certificate that the Jordanian Ministry of Education equates, with a pass mark of at least 50 percent in the general policy and higher grades set by each programme. Master's applicants need at least a 'good' bachelor's degree and proof of English (TOEFL iBT or IELTS, with thresholds that depend on the field) or a preparatory English course.
Tuition for international students is set per programme and per credit hour and is usually quoted in US dollars or Jordanian dinars; published examples range from 50-275 JD per credit hour at the Hashemite University's international programme to 70-450 USD at Mutah University and 110-150 JD at the German Jordanian University. The portal states that students on a student visa are not currently permitted to work. Entry visas are issued on arrival to many nationalities for 40 JD (single entry, one month), and universities help students convert this into a study residence permit after arrival; nationality-specific rules should be confirmed with a Jordanian embassy.
Jordan may suit students looking for an Arabic-speaking environment, lower credit-hour costs than many Western systems and programmes in medicine, engineering and IT. Fees, deadlines and entry rules change each academic year and differ by university and programme, accreditation status must be checked programme by programme with the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission and the university, and admission outcomes depend on individual applications. Applicants should confirm all details with the university and the Jordanian authorities.
