The Jordanian Senate on Thursday approved the 2026 amendments to the Jordanian Universities Law, as passed by the House of Representatives, during a session chaired by Senate President Faisal Al-Fayez and attended by members of the Cabinet.
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The Senate also recommended that the government adopt unified criteria for selecting the chairpersons and members of university boards of trustees, based on competence, experience, and integrity, while introducing annual performance indicators to evaluate the boards according to universities' strategic and operational plans.
In addition, senators called for a comprehensive national evaluation three years after the law enters into force to assess the impact of the amendments on the quality of higher education and use the findings to inform any future legislative revisions.
Under the amended law, the boards of trustees of both public and private universities will be restructured.
While the government's original proposal sought to reduce board membership from 12 to eight members, lawmakers amended the proposal to establish 10-member boards, a formulation that was ultimately approved by both chambers of Parliament.
For public universities, the amendments increase the number of higher education experts holding the rank of professor from three to four members, while adding one representative from the industry and commerce sector.
For private universities, the amendments raise the number of academic representatives on boards of trustees from two to three members.
They also broaden the required areas of expertise to include the university's academic specialization, in addition to business and technology, and increase industry and commerce representatives from one to two members.
According to the legislation, the amendments are intended to align higher education laws with recent institutional reforms resulting from the restructuring of Jordan's education system.
The changes support the country's broader public-sector modernization agenda, strengthen higher education quality, improve alignment with labor market needs, and reflect international best practices in governance.
The bill also aims to address governance challenges stemming from oversized boards and the absence of clear criteria for appointing university leaders.
In addition, it extends the law's scope to include university colleges and community colleges, while providing institutions with greater flexibility to diversify revenue sources, expand investment and marketing activities, and attract more international students.
In a separate decision, the Senate approved the request of Senator Engineer Nidal Al-Hadid to join the Public Services Committee.
