Studying in Egypt

What a year costs

Public universities. International applicants to public universities apply through the government's Study in Egypt portal, run by the Ministry of Higher Education. Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine, for example, sends international applicants straight to it. Fees for international students are set in US dollars per programme and shown in the portal. The portal loads only in a browser with JavaScript, and we could not read its fee tables when checking, so we do not quote public-university fees here. Read them in the portal for your exact programme before applying, and save a copy.

Private universities publish their own schedules. Future University in Egypt lists 2026/2027 annual fees for non-Egyptian students:

• Oral and Dental Medicine: USD 12,350
• Pharmacy (PharmD and PharmD Clinical): USD 9,950
• Engineering and Technology: USD 8,610
• Computers and IT, Economics and Political Science, Commerce: USD 7,120

The American University in Cairo charges international students USD 735 per credit hour, payable in dollars. A 15-credit semester is therefore USD 11,025, or about USD 22,050 for a 30-credit year.

Living costs. AUC's published cost-of-attendance budget for 2025-2026 is the only official breakdown we found:

• Housing: USD 2,780 a year for an on-campus single room, with AUC estimating USD 3,000 for a standard off-campus apartment
• Board: USD 4,300
• Personal expenses: USD 2,950

That is roughly USD 10,000 a year before tuition. AUC's campus is in New Cairo; costs elsewhere differ, and AUC's budget is written for its own students. Rents in Cairo are quoted in Egyptian pounds and have risen quickly with inflation, so check current listings.

The visa

Egypt works in two stages: enter, then get student residence inside the country.

Entry. AUC's guidance is that North American, Canadian, Australian and EU citizens can get a visa on arrival, valid for one month; some nationalities must apply for a 90-day visa before travelling; and others should obtain a visa from the Egyptian consulate at home, stating study as the purpose. The official e-Visa portal lists USD 30 for a single-entry tourist e-visa and USD 65 for multiple entry. It lists tourism visas only; it does not say the e-visa covers study. AUC's page still quotes USD 25 for a visa on arrival, so check the current fee with your airline or consulate.

Student residence. Once enrolled, you apply for a residence permit through the passports and immigration authority, normally with your university's international office handling the file. AUC lists the current fees (page updated 10 August 2026):

• Residency visa: EGP 7,100
• Tourist visa renewal or residency extension: EGP 7,100
• Re-entry visa: EGP 850
• Late application fine: EGP 1,685

AUC notes that "governmental approvals are valid for four years" but residency cards are renewed annually. Certain nationalities must also register their passport within seven days of arrival, for which AUC charges an EGP 110 registration fee.

The money. Neither the Study in Egypt portal (as far as we could read it) nor the university pages we checked set a minimum bank balance for student residence. Your university may ask for proof that fees are paid. Keep proof of funds and tuition receipts with you for every renewal.

Working while you study

We found no official source that grants international students a right to work in Egypt, and no published hours limit. A student residence permit is for study. Paid work normally needs a work permit sponsored by an employer, which is a separate process.

Plan to fund the whole degree without a job. If your university offers on-campus assistantships, ask the international office in writing whether they are compatible with your residence status.

After you graduate

There is no post-study work visa. Your residence depends on being enrolled, and when your studies end it ends too. To stay and work, you need an employer to obtain a work permit and work residence for you. Plan your departure date or your next permit before your residence card expires, because the late fine (EGP 1,685 at AUC's current figures) applies to late applications.

Language

Arabic is the main language of teaching at public universities. Some public faculties also run English-taught programmes or sections; the Study in Egypt portal shows the language and fee for each programme. Private universities such as AUC and Future University teach in English.

Check the language of your exact programme, not the faculty. Clinical training in hospitals involves patients who speak Egyptian Arabic, so even on an English-taught medical degree you will need working Arabic for your clinical years. Everyday life, residence renewals and hospital placements all run in Arabic.

When to apply

The Egyptian academic year starts in September or October.

• Public universities: apply through the Study in Egypt portal. The Ministry's offices abroad announced that the portal was open for 2026/2027 applications. The deadline and your programme's fee are shown in the portal; note them as soon as you register.
• Private universities run their own admissions and publish their own deadlines.
• Residence is handled after arrival, so the critical path is your admission letter and entry visa. If your nationality needs a visa in advance, apply at the consulate as soon as you have the letter.

What to watch out for

Medicine: check recognition at home before you enrol. Egypt is a major destination for medicine, and the degree is only useful if your own regulator will license you.

• Egypt's accreditation body, the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Education (NAQAAE), holds recognition from the World Federation for Medical Education until April 2029. That recognition is of the accrediting agency, not a guarantee that every programme is accredited.
• For US licensing, ECFMG's Recognized Accreditation Policy, applied since November 2024, looks at whether your school is accredited by an agency with WFME (or equivalent) recognition.
• For the UK, the General Medical Council tells you to check the World Directory of Medical Schools and to contact the GMC directly, and it warns you not to rely on confirmation from any third party, including your medical school. The World Directory itself says a listing "does not denote recognition, accreditation, or endorsement".
• For India, the National Medical Commission's rules for foreign medical graduates require at least 54 months of study plus a 12-month internship at the same institution, teaching in English, and a licence to practise in the country of study, among other conditions. The NMC's November 2024 advisory warned that any variation "may lead to disqualification" from registration in India. Check how your programme's length, internship and language match those rules before you sign.

Residence is yearly. Your card must be renewed every year, and late applications are fined. Put the expiry date in your calendar and start renewal early.

Currency risk. Private universities and AUC charge in US dollars, while rent and daily costs are in Egyptian pounds. Movements in the pound change your real costs, and fees can be revised each year: check the schedule for your intake.

Use the official portal. For public universities, apply through Study in Egypt yourself. Agents who promise places outside the portal cannot give you a legitimate admission.

Where these numbers come from

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Every figure above carries the date we checked it. Check the official source before you rely on it. Public-university fees for international students, any proof-of-funds threshold and student work rules were not published in a form we could verify.