Egyptian universities
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Universities in Egypt are generally either state-funded or privately funded. Education in Egypt is free by law, however there are very small fees paid for enrollment. Public institutions, with few exceptions are generally overcrowded with a student body of several thousands. Private universities are either Egyptian or foreign, and usually have a much smaller student body and with a much higher tuition rates.
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[edit] Education
Main Article: Education in Egypt, List of Egyptian universities
[edit] Public Universities
Public universities are under government administration. Public Higher education is free in Egypt, and Egyptian students only pay registration fees. International students pay full tuition with fees that reach up to £ 1,500 a year.
In 2004, the Egyptian government announced its plan to create new public universities from splitting multi-branch universities (Cairo University, Tanta University). This should allow the expansion of these much neglected smaller rural branches and provide space for the increasing number of students.
[edit] Private Universities
Before 1993, only two private foreign institutions were established decades ago. The American University in Cairo, founded in 1919 and the Arab Academy for Science and Technology (AAST). Under a new law in 1993, Egyptian private universities were established starting from 1996. These new universities are accredited from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Universities every 3 years, in addition to accreditation from foreign educational bodies in Europe. Université Française d'Égypte and the German University in Cairo are examples of such universities in Egypt.
[edit] Admission
Admission to public universities and institutions operates through a centralized office, Admission Office of Egyptian Universities (Arabic:مكتب تنسيق الجامعات المصرية Maktab Tanseek Al-Jame'at Al-Masriyah). This office receives applications after the results from the General Secondary Education Certificate are announced in any of its offices or online. The application dates are announced every year but usually take place every August. The application is both discipline-based and university-based. Students are asked to fill the admissions application that listing their choices of their desired discipline and university in a descending order of priority. Students with higher scores have a better chance of securing a place for themselves in their school of choice. While lower-scoring student may "get stuck" in a school or discipline different from that they desired, which might lead them to seek admission in private universities where competition for places is less fierce.
Admission to private universities is different and is similar to world wide enrollment procedures. A student applies to a specific university and goes through its admission process. However restrictions on the admission to certain schools, especially medical school and engineering, are put by the ministry of education to add some balance and equality between the rich and the under-privileged, by putting a minimum score limit for each discipline (eg. medicine, pharmacy, engineering...)
Several reforms are currently being studied, that includes canceling the free tuition rule for Egyptian students in public universities, and making this rule work for the under-privileged, honor students or based on merit.
[edit] Funding
Public universities in Egypt get their funding from the state as they are state-owned. Egyptian students receive their tuition free of charge but pay a very small registration fee. However, Non-Egyptians pay full tuition and fees that are estimated around £ 1,500.
Private universities in Egypt receive no state funding and are solely dependent on their resources and supporting foundations and societies. Tuition and fees range from $ 2,000 to 11,000 per semester.
[edit] University Life
Almost all public Egyptian universities provide rented accommodation normally for relocated students (typically rooms or dormitories in same sex campuses) with the majority of local students living in their parental homes, in marked contrast to universities in the western world. By a recent Higher Education law, students have a priority to frequent a local university.
