Alexandria University
جامعة الإسكندرية
One of Egypt's oldest and largest public universities, on the Mediterranean, with strong medicine, dentistry and nursing.
- Students
- 186,461
- International
- 7%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 17.6:1
- ratio
- Founded
- 1942
About AU
Alexandria University began in 1938 as two faculties, Arts and Law, of Fouad I University (now Cairo University), added Engineering in 1941 and became a separate university in August 1942 as Farouk University, with Science, Commerce, Medicine and Agriculture. It took the name Alexandria University in 1952. Over the decades it seeded faculties that became Tanta, Kafr El-Sheikh and Damanhour universities, and in 1960 it founded Beirut Arab University.
AU is one of the largest universities in the region: THE's 2026 data counts about 186,000 students, 7% international. Its faculties are grouped into medical (Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, plus the Medical Research Institute and High Institute of Public Health), scientific (Science, Agriculture, Engineering, Computing and Data Science), humanities (Commerce, Law, Arts, Fine Arts, Tourism and Hotels, Economic Studies and Political Science) and education faculties. Its GRAS 2026 subject strengths include Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health and Veterinary Sciences.
Egyptian students are placed through the national coordination office based on their secondary certificate, while international students apply through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt platform. AU suits students who want a large public university with long-established professional faculties in a Mediterranean city, and who are ready to navigate a very big institution.
Why students choose AU
Nursing ranks in the global 51-75 band and Dentistry in the 101-150 band in ShanghaiRanking's GRAS 2026; in the GRAS 2026 Nursing table AU is the highest-placed university from Egypt, the Arab world or Africa.
Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail and telecoms entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim both took their first degrees here.
A wide choice of professional degrees: six-year Medicine, five-year Engineering, Dentistry and Pharmacy, and four-year programmes in most other faculties.
Agricultural Sciences is in the 76-100 band and Veterinary Sciences in the 101-150 band of ShanghaiRanking's GRAS 2026, backed by the Saba Basha agriculture campus and a Faculty of Veterinary Medicine founded in 1974.
Admissions
2027-28 academic year (entry September 2027)
Selectivity
AU does not publish an admission rate. Egyptian students are placed by the national coordination office according to their secondary certificate total, and foreign students are nominated to a faculty according to their total marks.
Typical entry requirements
| Egyptian Thanaweya Amma (general secondary certificate) | Placement through the faculties' coordination office according to the certificate total; minimum scores vary by faculty and year |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary certificates | Accepted on the same conditions as Egyptian certificates, subject to the Supreme Council of Universities' rules on qualifying subjects; non-Arabic speakers may need complementary exams in Arabic, religious and national education before graduating |
Deadlines
- International student applications Non-bindingEnd of August (annual window opens in June)
AU's registration instructions (a 2016 page) give a June-August window each year to apply for the nomination card on the national platform; confirm 2027 dates on Study in Egypt.
AU's English pages describe an annual June to August application window for international students; exact 2027 dates are set on the national platform.
How to apply
International students apply through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt platform (linked from AU's international students page) and receive a nomination to a faculty. They then submit the nomination letter, an authenticated original secondary certificate, birth certificate, six photos, a passport copy and a letter from their embassy. AU warns that registration is free and advises against paying private agents.
What admissions looks for
- A strong secondary certificate total, since nomination to a faculty follows the student's total marks.
- Completion of the qualifying subjects each faculty requires, under the Supreme Council of Universities' rules.
- A complete, authenticated set of documents, including the original secondary certificate certified by the issuing country and its embassy in Egypt.
Tips for applying to AU
- 1 Apply through the official Study in Egypt platform yourself; AU states registration is free and warns against private offices that charge fees.
- 2 Get your secondary certificate authenticated in the issuing country and then by your embassy in Egypt before you travel.
- 3 Choose your faculty carefully: AU's rules say international students must stay in the faculty they are nominated to until graduation.
- 4 If your first language is not Arabic, expect complementary exams in Arabic, religious and national education before you can receive your degree.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EGP
AU's English fee page for foreign students dates from 2016, so current international fees should be confirmed on the Study in Egypt platform before applying; that page says fees are paid in two instalments, at the start of the year and before the second semester. AU lists university scholarships for international students on its website, and it offers heavily subsidised university hostels.
- Heavily subsidised housing for about 5,460 students
- University hostels
- Free (AU warns against paid agents)
- Application through Study in Egypt
Academics
Academic calendar: Credit-hour system: 15-week fall and spring semesters plus an 8-week summer semester
Nursing
Ranked 51-75 globally in ShanghaiRanking's GRAS 2026, the highest placing of any Egyptian, Arab or African university in that subject table.
Dentistry
In the GRAS 101-150 band for the third consecutive year; the faculty runs a health care centre providing free treatment used for supervised student training.
Medicine
Founded in 1942 and taught over at least six years, alongside AU's Medical Research Institute and university hospitals.
Engineering
Established in 1941, with programmes including Gas and Petrochemical, Electromechanical, Computer and Communication, and Architecture and Construction Engineering.
Pharmacy
Five-year programme and one of AU's 12 GRAS 2026 subjects.
Computing and Data Science
AU's newest faculty, approved in 2019.
Research
- Ranked in 12 subjects in ShanghaiRanking's GRAS 2026, from Agricultural Sciences (76-100), Nursing (51-75) and Veterinary Sciences to Metallurgical Engineering, Mathematics and Education.
- The Medical Research Institute and the High Institute of Public Health (1956) are part of the university.
- The Institute of Graduate Studies and Research (dated 1983 on AU's history page) offers interdisciplinary graduate programmes alongside the faculties.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Medicine
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Dentistry
- Faculty of Nursing
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Agriculture
- Faculty of Computing and Data Science
- Faculty of Commerce
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Arts
Student life
AU's faculties are spread across Alexandria in complexes for medical, theoretical and scientific faculties, with outlying sites such as Saba Basha for agriculture. The university offers heavily subsidised dormitories near campus for about 5,460 students, with separate buildings for men and women at Smouha, El-Shatby and elsewhere, and facilities including dining rooms, gyms, playgrounds, theatres and reading rooms. An elected Students Union Council organises cultural, social, sports and recreational activities, and AU teams compete in university sport, such as the chess players who won six medals at the 2026 African University Games.
- Subsidised dormitories for about 5,460 students, including the Smouha and El-Shatby complexes.
- Elected Students Union Council runs cultural, social and sports activities.
- AU chess players won six medals at the African University Games Cairo 2026.
- Faculty of Arts centre for teaching Arabic to foreigners.
Housing. AU runs separate men's and women's dormitories near its campuses, with heavily subsidised places for about 5,460 students.
Location
Alexandria is Egypt's Mediterranean port city, with a history reaching back to the Ptolemies; AU's emblem shows the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, whose site is now occupied by the Qaitbay Citadel. The university's main buildings are in the city itself, with faculty complexes and hospitals spread across several districts.
Nearest airport: Borg El Arab International Airport (HBE)
Notable alumni
- AZ Ahmed ZewailNobel Prize in Chemistry 1999; bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry
- MI Mo IbrahimSudanese-British mobile telecoms entrepreneur; bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
- PT Pope Tawadros IIPope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria; pharmacy degree (1975)
- MY Moustafa YoussefComputer scientist and ACM Fellow known for location-tracking research; BSc and MSc in computer and systems engineering
- AB Azer BestavrosComputer science professor at Boston University; BSc in computer engineering (1984) and MSc (1987)
- RJ Rebecca Joshua OkwaciSouth Sudanese politician and former Minister of Telecommunications; bachelor's in English language, literature and translation
Frequently asked questions
How do international students apply to Alexandria University?
Through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt platform, which nominates you to a faculty based on your certificate total. You then submit your authenticated original secondary certificate, birth certificate, passport copy, photos and an embassy letter.
Is there an application fee at Alexandria University?
AU says registration is free and warns applicants not to pay private offices; apply directly through the official platform.
How long are degrees at Alexandria University?
At least six years for Medicine, five years for Engineering, Dentistry and Pharmacy, and four years for most other faculties, using a credit-hour system with fall, spring and summer semesters.
Does Alexandria University have dormitories?
Yes. AU runs heavily subsidised men's and women's dormitories near campus for about 5,460 students.
What is Alexandria University known for?
Its medical faculties in particular: Nursing is ranked 51-75 and Dentistry 101-150 in the world in ShanghaiRanking's 2026 subject rankings. Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail studied chemistry here.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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