Syria restricts women's access to new defense and security universities

New admission rules

In early October 2026, Syria's ministry of education announced admission rules for two newly established universities — the National University of Defense Sciences and the Syrian University of Security Sciences. At the former, a number of programs are now open exclusively to men; at the latter, almost all programs are, Deutsche Welle reports. Both universities were created recently: the university of defense sciences in Damascus was founded in mid-2026.

Who is affected by the restrictions

Lynn Najjar, a 23-year-old from Damascus and one of the few women in the mechatronics faculty, had planned to enroll in a master's program but is now considering studying in another province. She says moving away from her family comes with difficulties: dormitories are uncomfortable, a woman living alone is frowned upon in a conservative environment, and parents are often against such a move. The outlet notes that women can still study the same subjects at other, more general universities and colleges.

What lies behind the ban

An analysis of the admission rules cited in the publication suggests that the restrictions may be linked less to the education itself than to keeping women out of the military: studying at the National University of Defense Sciences requires service in the Syrian army, and graduates of the University of Security Sciences are required to serve up to 20 years in the internal security forces. Syria's military leadership has previously rejected the integration of Syrian Kurdish women fighters into the national army.

Beyond military universities

Gender-based restrictions have also affected other institutions: the railway institute in Aleppo, oil and gas training organizations in Rmeilan, Homs, Deir ez-Zor and Baniyas, and the radio and television course in Idlib. At the same time, men were barred from training as kindergarten teachers, nurses and in midwifery courses — these became available only to women.

Reaction and context

Human Rights Watch issued a statement a few days after the rules were announced, calling them discriminatory, in violation of Syria's international legal obligations, and part of an

Debate in society

Some officials said that certain gender rules in the new universities were inherited from the colleges of the Assad era, which were merged when the new institutions were created. Opponents of the ban in Syria point out that ability does not depend on gender; activist Faten Kharbatli from Aleppo called to a 2024 Middle East Institute study, in many Arab countries women are admitted to military colleges, but often only in non-combat or symbolic roles; MEI analyst Nadra Bunni of Switzerland notes that it remains unclear whether gender restrictions will become a feature of the