The Minister of Higher Education, Mohieddin Touq, said the Higher Education Council approved a set of new principles for unified admission into Jordanian universities and the reform of higher education in the country, in a press conference held on Saturday.

University admission will be based on the college or field of specialization and the first year is the same for all students.

Subdivisions or specializations in academic departments will start from the second year and based on three criteria — the student's desire, the student’s GPA and the interview.

"We are not inventing anything new, but rather going back to previous decisions that lasted for more than 18 years," he said.

A total mark from 140, instead a percentage out of 100, for highschool will be implemented.

First year of university will be a preparatory year for all students.

A grand total of 1,400 marks has been approved to start as of 2021.

The application will depende on performance in high school by 60% and the entrance examination by 40%.

The new university foundations will apply to all Jordanian students immediately and in three years for Arab students.

The university entrance exam will be in Arabic, not English.

He believes that it is not fair to link students' futures to their performance in high school exams.

"17% of medical students in Jordan have failed in their early school years," he said.

The ministry is investing a lot of effort towards improving national high school examinations, known as Tawjihi, in Jordan.