Lebanon has no published decision on North Cyprus degrees. Equivalence is decided by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE): its Higher Education Equivalence Committee, chaired by the Director General of Higher Education, reviews each graduate's file on the law, including whether the institution is officially recognised, and on the academic content. It can grant full or conditional equivalence, ask for more documents, or refuse. Applications go only through the committee's online platform. None of the MEHE pages we read on 13 October 2026 mentions North Cyprus or any North Cyprus university.
What the file needs, and where North Cyprus does not fit
MEHE's portal lists, for a degree from outside Lebanon:
- the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II, or its official equivalent, held before enrolling (Law 16/81);
- a General Security entry/exit statement proving you lived in the country of study. A student flying Beirut–Istanbul–Ercan shows exits to Türkiye, and whether MEHE accepts that together with TRNC residence permits is not documented;
- the degree and every year's transcript, legalised by the Lebanese embassy in the country of study, or by that country's embassy in Lebanon, then by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry. Lebanon has no mission in North Cyprus and North Cyprus has none in Lebanon, so neither route exists as written. Lebanon is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so apostille is not an alternative.
How MEHE handles North Cyprus documents in practice is not published.
Practising a profession
Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy
Graduates sit MEHE's Colloquium exams, held in July and December. Entry requires a medicine diploma of seven years including the internship year (dentistry and pharmacy five years), and the faculty must be on the World Health Organization list of medical faculties. North Cyprus medical programmes run six years. The World Directory of Medical Schools lists Near East University, Cyprus International University, Girne American University and the University of Kyrenia, and states that a listing does not denote recognition; Eastern Mediterranean University's medical school was not found there on 17 October 2026. Whether MEHE reads that directory as its "WHO list" is not stated.
Engineering
An engineer needs MEHE's engineering practice permit (Law 636 of 1997) before joining the Order of Engineers and Architects. The Engineering Practice Committee's page says it recognises only the foreign universities on its list (decision of 3 May 2002). For Türkiye that list names only master's degrees from Istanbul Technical University and Middle East Technical University; no North Cyprus university is on it, and METU's Northern Cyprus Campus is not named. The list dates from 2002, but the live page still says "only". The ABET (EMU, METU NCC) and EUR-ACE (NEU, EUL) accreditations on file do not change that list.
What to verify yourself
- Before enrolling, ask MEHE's equivalence secretariat in writing how it treats a degree from a North Cyprus university, including legalisation and proof of residence: mehe.gov.lb.
- Make sure you hold the Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II, or its official equivalence, before you enrol.
- Medicine, dentistry or pharmacy: check the Colloquium conditions with MEHE, including the seven-year rule for medicine and the WHO-list condition.
- Engineering: check the Engineering Practice Committee's current list of foreign universities with MEHE before choosing a North Cyprus engineering degree.
- For Order registration, contact the Order of Engineers and Architects (oea.org.lb) or the Order of Pharmacists (opl.org.lb). The Lebanese Order of Physicians' address we had, lop.org.lb, did not resolve on 13 October 2026.
Recognition rules change without notice. Verify with MEHE before any enrolment commitment.