Outrage after Syrian universities bar women from several majors

Syria’s university admission rules have sparked anger after women were excluded from several degree programmes, including law, social sciences and business administration, prompting concerns about their access to higher education under the country’s new government.

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research published admission requirements for the 2026-2027 academic year on 30 September. The lists allocate places at universities and technical institutes according to students' secondary-school results and preferences, while restricting admission to certain programmes based on gender.

The restrictions cover military, security and civilian fields. Programmes reserved for men include legal studies at the newly established National University of Defence Sciences, as well as law, social sciences, business administration and economics at its Damascus faculties. Some technical programmes, including radio and television production at a media institute in Idlib, are also restricted to male applicants.

Other affected fields include mechanical, electronic, computer, mechatronics, marine and aeronautical engineering, alongside programmes at military and security institutions.

Some programmes remain open to women, including early childhood education, nursing, midwifery and selected cybersecurity courses. The restrictions vary by institution and location, and women can still study subjects such as law and engineering at other universities, including Damascus University.

Not all the restrictions are new. Some technical institutes have historically admitted only men, including the Oil and Gas Institute in Deir Ezzor, according to a former higher education ministry official cited by AFP. Some institutes also fall under ministries other than higher education, which set their own admission requirements.

The ministry has not explained why women have been excluded from the affected programmes, according to AFP, which said it had sought comment from the authorities.

The rules have fuelled wider concerns about women’s rights and their opportunities in education and employment since the overthrow of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Educator Ahlam Othman told *AFP *that the restrictions represented "another obstacle" for women in Syria, adding that Syrian women already faced discrimination and oppression.

Social media users have also criticised the decision, arguing that restricting access to certain subjects could limit women’s ability to understand and defend their rights.

العلقات الهلامية الوحيدة الخلية، القابعة والمتسلّطة على حكم سوريا، ارتأت، بعد قرن كامل على تخرّج أول طبيبة سورية، أن تتلو على مسامعنا نكتة سمجة تشبه ماهيتها، عن مفاضلة تتبجح بالكفاءة والاستحقاق؛ الاستحقاق الذي يقف صاغراً أمام خانة الجنس. سيناريو يائس بائس يبشّر بدنو أجلهم. مستفلسون حتى بأساليب التشدد؛ فهذا الإبداع ليس ابتكاراً سورياً، بل بضاعة إقصائية مستعملة ومنتهية الصلاحية. إيران مارست هذا العبث عام 2012 وحظرت عشرات التخصصات، والسعودية، التي جرّبت قيوداً مشابهة، أدركت خطأها وتجاوزتها لتبني مستقبلها، بينما طبّقت طالبان في أفغانستان النسخة الخام من هذا التخلف وأغلقت الجامعات بالكامل. واليوم، يُراد لسوريا أن تقتات على فضلات سياسات رجعية لفظها التاريخ وتراجعت عنها دول المنطقة، حتى يأتي قمامو الدول ويحاولون بيعنا هذا الانحطاط الفكري كفرض أمر واقع جديد، هدفه وأد عقول النساء، واستنساخ سياسات طالبان، ومصادرة حق السوريات في مقاعد الهندسة والقانون. واهمون، ومستعجلون جداً على إنهاء أنفسهم. سوريا لن تُحكم اليوم بعقلية تستكثر على المرأة أن تفكر!

— Sally Obeid (@SallyObeid)

October 6, 2026

"The Syrian authorities’ decision to bar women from higher education in most fields – particularly the study of law – aims to prevent them from learning about their rights or defending them legally, thereby excluding them from social and professional life," one user wrote on X.

Author Rime Allaf, who wrote It Started in Damascus: How the Long Syrian Revolution Reshaped Our World described the restrictions as "primitive" and unjustifiable, warning that they would affect society more broadly.

Sally Obeid, a founding member of the Syrian Christian Congress, condemned the rules as an example of exclusionary policies, writing on X: "Syria will not be ruled by a mindset that begrudges women the right to think!"

Women remain underrepresented in Syria’s transitional institutions. Hind Kabawat, minister of social affairs and labour, is the only woman in the transitional cabinet.

The transitional parliament has 22 women among its 206 sitting members. Seven were indirectly elected through electoral bodies, while 15 were appointed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

(The New Arab, AFP)