MUSCAT: Mazoon College said on Tuesday that the revocation of its institutional accreditation would not affect its operations or the academic future of currently enrolled students, while an official from the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA) stressed that the decision does not amount to the closure of the institution.

In a clarification statement, the college said it remains a licensed higher education institution under the Ministry of Education and that all of its academic programmes continue to be fully licensed and approved by the relevant authorities.

The college said the accreditation decision would have no impact on the academic standing, progression or graduation requirements of existing students, reaffirming assurances previously issued by the Ministry of Education.

“The revocation of institutional accreditation does not, by itself, constitute or imply the closure of the institution,” the college said, adding that it has begun implementing measures to address observations raised during the review and is preparing for a new institutional standards assessment in the 2026/2027 academic year.

Separately, Yousuf bin Sulaiman Al Oufi, Director of the External Review Operations Support Department at the OAAAQA, said the authority’s exceptional review found that Mazoon College no longer met the institutional accreditation standards on which its accreditation had originally been granted.

Speaking in an interview, Al Oufi said the review was conducted through the authority’s established external review process and followed the same procedures applied during regular institutional reviews.

He said an exceptional review is initiated when significant changes within a higher education institution could affect its ability to meet accreditation standards, including changes related to governance, management, financial or legal matters.

Al Oufi said the revocation reflected the college’s failure to continue meeting the required institutional standards, but emphasised that the decision should not be interpreted as a closure order.

He added that matters relating to new student admissions, the status of current students and academic qualifications fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, which has already issued guidance confirming that existing students’ academic rights will be protected.

The OAAAQA has scheduled Mazoon College for another external review in 2027, when its institutional performance and compliance with accreditation standards will be reassessed after corrective measures have been implemented.