Gulf University Honours Classification
Gulf universities accredited by NCAAA award four honours classifications, Excellence (Mumtaz), Very Good (Jayyid Jiddan), Good (Jayyid), and Satisfactory (Maqbul), based on cumulative GPA and failure count conditions. Certificates and transcripts are bilingual in Arabic and English. OpenEduCat assigns the classification automatically and generates the bilingual documents without manual input.
NCAAA Honours Classification Table
Four classification bands based on cumulative GPA (of 4.0) and number of failed courses. Both GPA threshold and failure condition must be met.
| Arabic | Classification (English) | Min GPA (of 4.0) | Max Failed Courses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ممتاز | Excellence (Mumtaz) | ≥ 3.75 | None | No failed course in any semester. Most competitive employers and graduate programmes target this band. |
| جيد جداً | Very Good (Jayyid Jiddan) | ≥ 3.50 | 1 | Maximum one failed course (subsequently cleared). Strong result recognised by most employers. |
| جيد | Good (Jayyid) | ≥ 3.00 | 2 | Maximum two failed courses (subsequently cleared). Accepted for most government and professional roles. |
| مقبول | Satisfactory (Maqbul) | ≥ 2.00 | No limit | Degree awarded. No competitive classification. Sufficient for graduation; some employers set higher floors. |
Source: NCAAA Programme Accreditation Standards. “Failed courses” refers to subjects where the student recorded Grade F and subsequently cleared through re-attempt. Active uncleared failures block graduation entirely, classification applies only to graduating students.
Country Variations Across the GCC
All GCC nations follow the NCAAA framework, with minor institutional differences in certificate format and additional local requirements.
Saudi Arabia
NCAAA / MoESaudi universities follow the NCAAA classification table directly. Royal universities (KSU, KFUPM, KAU) publish bilingual transcripts with Arabic on the right-hand panel and English on the left. The Mumtaz classification appears prominently on the degree certificate (شهادة البكالوريوس) in both scripts.
United Arab Emirates
CAA / KHDAUAE universities accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) use the NCAAA classification framework as the reference standard. Private universities such as American University of Sharjah and UAE University may append GPA on a 4.0 scale in English alongside the Arabic classification. KHDA (Dubai) requires transcripts to include both GPA and the classification label.
Kuwait
PAAET / KUKuwait University and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training use the standard Gulf 4-point scale. Honours appear on certificates in Arabic; English translation is provided separately. The minimum Excellent (Mumtaz) threshold at KU is GPA 3.75 with no repeated courses.
Bahrain
BQABahrain's Quality Assurance Authority (BQA) accredits institutions that follow the Gulf standard classification. University of Bahrain and Arabian Gulf University produce bilingual transcripts. Bahrain does not use a separate "Pass" classification, students below Maqbul threshold who still graduate simply receive the degree without a classification label.
How OpenEduCat Assigns Gulf Honours
The Gulf module pre-configures NCAAA classification thresholds and bilingual transcript support, honours are assigned automatically at grade publication.
NCAAA honours classification pre-configured
The four NCAAA classification thresholds (3.75, 3.50, 3.00, 2.00) are installed as advance.honours.classification records when the Gulf module is activated. Cumulative GPA is compared against these thresholds at graduation, no manual lookup required. The system also checks the failure count condition for Mumtaz and Jayyid Jiddan.
Arabic subject names on bilingual transcripts
The Gulf module adds a name_arabic field to each subject record. When generating a bilingual transcript, OpenEduCat renders the Arabic subject name with lang="ar" for correct RTL display. The English column uses the standard name field. Both columns print side by side in the official bilingual PDF.
Arabic/Islamic courses excluded from GPA
Gulf universities typically exclude mandatory Arabic language and Islamic studies courses from GPA computation. The Gulf module adds an exclude_from_gpa flag on the subject record. When set, the course's credit hours and grade points are omitted from the cumulative GPA formula, the grade still appears on the transcript but is marked as non-GPA.
Honours printed on degree certificates and portal
The Arabic classification label (ممتاز, جيد جداً, جيد, مقبول) and its English equivalent print automatically on the generated degree certificate and graduation report. Students can also view their classification in the self-service portal before graduation ceremonies, reducing manual certificate correction requests.
Related Gulf Gradebook Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Gulf university honours classification and NCAAA standards.
Automate NCAAA honours classification
Four classification bands, bilingual Arabic/English transcript support, and GPA-gated failure conditions, all pre-configured in the Gulf gradebook module.