An-Najah National University
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
A Nablus university that admits by Tawjihi average and teaches across 15 faculties, from Medicine to Fine Arts.
- Founded
- 1918
- QS World Ranking
- 1001-1200
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About An-Najah
An-Najah National University in Nablus, in the northern West Bank, traces itself to a primary school founded in 1918. It became An-Najah College in 1941, a teacher-preparation institute in 1965 and a full university in 1977. The university describes itself as the largest in Palestine, and it is a non-governmental public institution run by a board of trustees.
Its site lists 15 faculties: Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, Engineering, Business and Communication, Dentistry and Dental Surgery, Fine Arts, Humanities and Educational Sciences, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Law and Political Sciences, Science, Shari'ah, Veterinary Medicine and Agricultural Engineering, Pharmacy, Nursing, Honors and Graduate Studies. It has five sites: the New Campus, the Old Campus, Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology, the Khadouri Campus in Tulkarm (agriculture and veterinary medicine) and An-Najah National Hospital. The university says its research output is about one third of Palestine's national research output.
Teaching is by credit hours, in two 16-week semesters plus an 8-week summer semester. Applicants from Palestine are admitted competitively by their secondary-school (Tawjihi) average, so this is a place for students who already know their score and want a specific programme such as Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy or Law. Visiting international students can take a single course or a semester, provided their home institution pre-approves the credit.
Why students choose An-Najah
It offers a very wide programme list, from Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Dental Surgery to Game Design, Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.
Admission rules are published: each programme has a minimum Tawjihi average (for example 90% for Medicine and 80% for Engineering), and the competitive cut-off is set each year.
The university runs its own hospital, An-Najah National Hospital, as one of its five sites, and has a Faculty of Honors with a 12-credit-hour Honors College component.
Visiting international students can join for one course or a semester, and receive English-language certification documents for credit transfer.
Admissions
Undergraduate admission, entry 2027 (dates not yet published)
Selectivity
An-Najah does not publish an acceptance rate. Students are admitted competitively by their General Secondary Education (Tawjihi) average. The competitive average for each programme is set every year from the number of applicants and places, so it changes annually. A parallel (private-study) track admits students from each programme's fixed minimum average up to about ten points below the competitive average, at a higher price per credit hour.
Typical entry requirements
| Palestinian or Jordanian Tawjihi (General Secondary Education) | Programme minimum averages of 65% to 90%; the secondary stream must be one the programme allows (for example the Scientific stream for Medicine and Engineering). The certificate must not be more than five years old, except for Fine Arts. |
|---|---|
| Israeli Bagrut | Scientific stream needs at least 24 units including at least 3 in physics, chemistry or biology; Literary stream at least 21 units. The average is weighted by units. |
| Saudi secondary certificate (2016-17 onwards) | Average is calculated as 50% school certificate, 25% aptitude test and 25% achievement test. |
| International certificates (SAT, GCE, IB and similar) | Applicant must bring an equivalency letter from the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education; the university computes the average from it. |
| English language | No TOEFL or IELTS score is published. New students take an English placement test: below 50% means a remedial 3-hour English course, and 80% or more exempts them from English 1. |
Deadlines
No 2027 dates are published. The university says the admission averages and the dates for completing admission procedures are announced on its website and in local newspapers after the General Secondary Education results.
How to apply
Apply after the Tawjihi results are out, either on campus at the Deanship of Admissions and Registration or online through the university's Zajel system. Submit the attested secondary certificate, an original or certified birth certificate and a copy of the ID or passport, and pay the application fee; you then receive a registration number and a university ID card. Visiting international students contact the International Relations Office for a course or semester and start visa arrangements once they receive the admission confirmation letter.
What admissions looks for
- A Tawjihi (or equivalent) average that meets the programme minimum and the yearly competitive average.
- A secondary-school stream that the chosen programme allows, for example the Scientific stream for engineering, medicine and health programmes.
- A certificate not more than five years old (all faculties except Fine Arts).
- For Art, Physical Education, Architecture and Urban Planning, an entrance test if the faculty currently holds one (the university's FAQ says they were suspended in 2020/2021 and gives no later update).
Tips for applying to An-Najah
- 1 Check the programme's allowed streams before applying: several streams are barred from Medicine, Engineering and other programmes.
- 2 Holders of international certificates should get the ministry equivalency letter first, as the university cannot compute the average without it.
- 3 Applications open only after the results announcement, so prepare the certified transcript, birth certificate and ID copy in advance.
- 4 Visiting international students should obtain home-university credit pre-approval before applying, as An-Najah does not handle credit transfer to ECTS.
- 5 The weekend is Friday and Saturday, so plan registration visits accordingly.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Tuition is charged per credit hour, but An-Najah's public pages do not list a price, so tuition is left blank. The university says its fees are counted in Jordanian dinars (roughly USD 1.4 per dinar on its page, undated). An Excellence Grant cuts registered-hour tuition by 50% for a cumulative GPA of 90% or above and by 33% for 85-89.9%, after two successive semesters at 85% or higher. Other support includes donation-funded scholarships, student loans, tuition instalments and a grants fund for students with disabilities.
- 50% tuition reduction at GPA 90%+, 33% at GPA 85-89.9%
- Excellence Grant
- Jordanian dinars (university states about USD 1.4 per dinar, undated)
- Fee currency
Academics
Academic calendar: Two 16-week semesters (fall and spring) plus an 8-week intensive summer semester; Friday and Saturday are the weekend.
Doctor of Medicine
Requires a Tawjihi average of at least 90%, the highest published entry bar.
Engineering (Civil, Architectural, Electrical, Chemical, Computer, Mechatronics and more)
Many engineering programmes, including Cyber Security, Energy and Environmental Engineering and Telecommunication Engineering; minimum average 80%.
Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy
The Faculty of Pharmacy was established in 1994; minimum average 80%.
Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
One of the newer programmes, alongside Game Design and Computer Science apprenticeship tracks in Software Engineering and AI.
Veterinary Medicine and Agricultural Engineering
Offered on the Khadouri Campus in Tulkarm; the minimum average for Veterinary Medicine is 65%.
Law
The Faculty of Law was established in 1995; minimum average 75%, with a Hebrew legal-studies minor available.
Research
- The university says its research output is about one third of Palestine's national research output.
- It hosts an Institutional Review Board, a Neuroscience Center, an An-Najah Cancer Center and a UNESCO Chair on Human Rights and Democracy (agreement signed 1997).
- U.S. News Best Global Universities 2026-2027 places it 1,183rd globally, with Physics at 372nd globally (as reported by the university).
- THE Sustainability Impact Rankings 2026: =33rd of 1,603 institutions (university news page).
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Business and Communication
- Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Surgery
- Faculty of Fine Arts
- Faculty of Graduate Studies
- Faculty of Honors
- Faculty of Humanities and Educational Sciences
- Faculty of Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence
- Faculty of Law and Political Sciences
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Shari'ah
Student life
Student life is based on the New Campus and the Old Campus in Nablus, with the Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology and the An-Najah Centenary Museum among the sites listed on the campus pages. Students join subject societies such as the Chemistry Society and the Sustainable Development Association, and the university uses its Zajel platform for registration, fees and services. It also runs a radio station, a Youth Exchange Program, and volunteering opportunities that let international visitors work alongside local students.
- Five sites including the New Campus, Old Campus and Hisham Hijjawi College of Technology.
- Subject societies, for example the Chemistry Society, which ran a Chemical Hackathon in December 2025.
- Practical Training, Student Employment and Alumni Affairs offices.
- The Voice of An-Najah radio station, launched in 2003.
Housing. The university offers on-campus and off-campus accommodation and helps students find off-campus housing near campus.
Location
Nablus is a city in the northern West Bank, about 60 kilometres north of Jerusalem. The university says a room in a shared flat is the usual arrangement for visiting students, and that the weekend is Friday and Saturday. Visitors normally arrive via Ben Gurion Airport or the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge from Jordan, and the university notes that the Palestinian Authority does not issue visas, so entry visas come from the Israeli or Jordanian authorities. Check your own government's current travel advice before travelling.
Nearest airport: No civil airport in Nablus; the university describes arrival via Ben Gurion Airport (Tel Aviv) or Amman and the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge
Notable alumni
- TB Taysir BatnijiMultidisciplinary artist based in Paris; studied fine art and painting at An-Najah
- AB Ahlam BsharatAuthor of young people's novels and short stories; BA and MA in Arabic literature at An-Najah
- HZ Hani ZurobPainter based in Paris; enrolled at An-Najah in 1994
- NA Nafez AssailySociologist and peace activist; began tertiary studies at An-Najah, majoring in English
- BK Basem KhandakjiWriter; studied at An-Najah and Al-Quds University; his novel A Mask, the Color of the Sky won the 2024 Arabic Booker Prize
- YA Yahya Al-SarrajProfessor and consultant; listed by Wikipedia as mayor of Gaza City since 2019; An-Najah graduate
- DS Dalal SalamehFormer member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (elected 1996); attended An-Najah
- MA Munib al-MasriIndustrialist; attended An-Najah (per Wikipedia) and graduated from the University of Texas
Frequently asked questions
What average do you need to get into An-Najah?
The Student Guide 2025-26 sets minimum Tawjihi averages: 90% for Medicine, 85% for Dental Surgery, 80% for Pharmacy and Engineering, 75% for Law and 65% for Veterinary Medicine and other programmes. The competitive average changes every year.
How do I apply to An-Najah?
Apply on campus at the Deanship of Admissions and Registration or online via Zajel once results are out, with your attested certificate, birth certificate, ID copy and the application fee.
Can international students study at An-Najah?
Yes. International students can take a course or a semester through the International Relations Office, and holders of international certificates need a ministry equivalency letter for degree admission. Get credit pre-approval from your home institution first.
What does it cost to study at An-Najah?
Tuition is charged per credit hour in Jordanian dinars, but the university's pages do not list a price, so ask the admissions office. It estimates USD 500-800 per month for international students' living costs.
Do I need IELTS or TOEFL for An-Najah?
No score is published. New students take an English placement test and may be placed in a remedial English course if they score below 50%.
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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