
<PAGE>

                                                          EXHIBIT 99(a)(1)(iii)

                         SYLVAN LEARNING SYSTEMS, INC.

                         Notice of Guaranteed Delivery
                                      for
                       Tender of Shares of Common Stock

  This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, or one substantially in the form hereof,
must be used to accept the offer if certificates evidencing shares of common
stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc., a Maryland
corporation, are not immediately available, or if the procedure for book-entry
transfer described in the Offer to Purchase dated March 21, 2000 and the
related Letter of Transmittal, which, as amended or supplemented from time to
time, together constitute the offer, cannot be completed on a timely basis or
time will not permit all required documents, including a properly completed
and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed facsimile of the
Letter of Transmittal), an Agent's Message in the case of a book-entry
transfer (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) or the specific acknowledgement
in the case of a tender through the Automated Tender Offer Program of the
Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), and any
other required documents, to reach the Depositary prior to the Expiration Date
(as defined in the Offer to Purchase).

  This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, properly completed and duly executed,
may be delivered by hand, mail or facsimile transmission to the Depositary.
See Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.

                       The Depositary for the offer is:

                           First Union National Bank

<TABLE>
<S>                           <C>                           <C>
        By Mail:                By Overnight Delivery:           By Hand Delivery:

 First Union National Bank     First Union National Bank     First Union National Bank
1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd.   1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd.   1525 West W.T. Harris Blvd.
 Charlotte, NC 28288-1153      Charlotte, NC 28262-1153            Building 3C3
    Attn: Reorg Dept.              Attn: Reorg Dept.           Charlotte, NC 28262
                                                                 Attn: Reorg Dept.
</TABLE>

                            Facsimile Transmission:

                                (704) 590-7628

                  Confirm Receipt of Facsimile by Telephone:

                                (704) 590-7408

  Delivery of this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery to an address other than as
set forth above or transmission of instructions via facsimile transmission
other than as set forth above will not constitute a valid delivery. Deliveries
to Sylvan will not be forwarded to the Depositary and therefore will not
constitute valid delivery. Deliveries to the Book-Entry Transfer Facility will
not constitute valid delivery to the Depositary.

  This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery is not to be used to guarantee
signatures. If a signature on the Letter of Transmittal is required to be
guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (as defined in the Offer to Purchase)
under the instructions to the Letter of Transmittal, the signature guarantee
must appear in the applicable space provided in the signature box on the
Letter of Transmittal.
<PAGE>

Ladies and Gentlemen:

  The undersigned tenders to Sylvan at the price per share indicated in this
Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
described in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal,
receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the number of shares specified below
pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure described in Section 3 of the
Offer to Purchase. All shares tendered and purchased will include the
associated preferred stock purchase rights issued pursuant to the Amended and
Restated Rights Agreement dated as of December 18, 1999 between Sylvan and
First Union National Bank, as rights agent, and, unless the context otherwise
requires, all references to shares include the associated preferred stock
purchase rights.

            Number of shares to be tendered:                shares.


                                   Odd Lots

   To be completed ONLY if shares are being tendered by or on behalf of a
 person owning beneficially or of record an aggregate of fewer than 100
 shares (not including any shares held in Sylvan's Employee Stock Purchase
 Plan or in Sylvan's 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan). The undersigned either
 (check one box):

 [_]is the beneficial or record owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100
    shares, all of which are being tendered; or

 [_]is a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company, or other nominee
    that (a) is tendering for the beneficial owner(s) of shares with respect
    to which it is the record holder, and (b) believes, based upon
    representations made to it by the beneficial owner(s), that each person
    was the beneficial or record owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100
    shares and is tendering all of those shares.

 In addition, the undersigned is tendering shares either (check one box):

 [_]at the purchase price determined by Sylvan in accordance with the terms
    of the offer (persons checking this box need not indicate the price per
    share below); or

 [_]at the price per share indicated below in the section captioned "Price
    (In Dollars) per Share at Which Shares Are Being Tendered."



                              Conditional Tender

   A tendering shareholder may condition his or her tender of shares upon
 Sylvan purchasing a specified minimum number of the shares tendered, all as
 described in the Offer to Purchase, particularly in Section 6. Unless at
 least the minimum number of shares you indicate below is purchased by Sylvan
 pursuant to the terms of the offer, none of the shares tendered by you will
 be purchased. It is the tendering shareholder's responsibility to calculate
 the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased,
 and each shareholder is urged to consult his or her own tax advisor. Unless
 this box has been completed and a minimum specified, the tender will be
 deemed unconditional.

 [_]The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased
    is:       shares.



<PAGE>

           Check only one box. If more than one box is checked or if
          no box is checked, the shares will not be properly tendered.

               Shares Tendered at Price Determined by Shareholder
                (See Instruction 5 to the Letter of Transmittal)

   By checking one of the following boxes below instead of the box under
 "Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Offer," the undersigned
 hereby tenders shares at the price checked. This action could result in none
 of the shares being purchased if the purchase price determined by Sylvan for
 the shares is less than the price checked below. A shareholder who desires to
 tender shares at more than one price must complete a separate Letter of
 Transmittal for each price at which shares are tendered. The same shares
 cannot be tendered at more than one price.
        Price (In Dollars) per Share at Which Shares Are Being Tendered

     [_]$15.250                    [_]$16.000                  [_]$16.750
     [_]$15.375                    [_]$16.125                  [_]$16.875
     [_]$15.500                    [_]$16.250                  [_]$17.000
     [_]$15.625                    [_]$16.375                  [_]$17.125
     [_]$15.750                    [_]$16.500                  [_]$17.250
     [_]$15.875                    [_]$16.625                  [_]$17.375
                                                               [_]$17.500

                                       OR

           Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Offer
                (See Instruction 5 to the Letter of Transmittal)

 [_]The undersigned wants to maximize the chance of having Sylvan purchase
    all of the shares the undersigned is tendering (subject to the
    possibility of proration). Accordingly, by checking this one box instead
    of one of the price boxes above, the undersigned hereby tenders shares
    and is willing to accept the purchase price determined by Sylvan in
    accordance with the terms of the offer. This action could result in
    receiving a price per share of as low as $15.25.

Signature(s): __________________________________________________________________

Name(s) of Record Holder(s): ___________________________________________________
                              Please Type or Print

Certificate Nos.: ______________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
                                                          Zip Code

Daytime Area Code and Telephone No.: ___________________________________________

Date: ______________, 2000

If shares will be delivered by book-entry transfer, provide the following
information:

Account Number: ________________________________________________________________

<PAGE>

                                   Guarantee
                  (Not to be used for a signature guarantee.)

   The undersigned, a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association
 or other entity that is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer
 Agents Medallion Program or a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings
 association or other entity that is an "eligible guarantor institution," as
 that term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 promulgated under the Securities
 Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (each of the foregoing constituting an
 "Eligible Institution"), guarantees the delivery to the Depositary of the
 shares tendered, in proper form for transfer, or a confirmation that the
 shares tendered have been delivered pursuant to the procedure for book-entry
 transfer described in the Offer to Purchase into the Depositary's account at
 the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, in each case together with a properly
 completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or a manually signed
 facsimile of the Letter of Transmittal), an Agent's Message in the case of a
 book-entry transfer or the specific acknowledgement in the case of a tender
 through the Automated Tender Offer Program of the Book-Entry Transfer
 Facility, and any other required documents, all within three (3) Nasdaq
 Stock Market trading days after the date of receipt by the Depositary of
 this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.

   The Eligible Institution that completes this form must communicate the
 guarantee to the Depositary and must deliver the Letter of Transmittal and
 certificates representing shares to the Depositary within the time period
 set forth in the Offer to Purchase. Failure to do so could result in a
 financial loss to the Eligible Institution.

                                   Name of Firm: _____________________________

                                   Address: __________________________________

                                   Zip Code: _________________________________

                                   Area Code and Telephone No.: ______________

                                   ___________________________________________
                                   Authorized Signature


                                   Name: _____________________________________

                                   Please Print: _____________________________

                                   Title: ____________________________________

 Date: __________, 2000

 Note: Do not send share certificates with this form. Certificates for shares
 should be sent with the Letter of Transmittal.

