Cairo University
جامعة القاهرة
Egypt's historic flagship university in Giza, home of the Kasr Al Ainy medical school and the famous domed hall.
- Founded
- 1908
- QS World Ranking
- #363
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About CU
Cairo University was founded in 1908 as the Egyptian University, funded by a committee of private citizens under royal patronage, and became a state institution in 1925. It was later called Fuad I University before taking its current name. Several older state schools were folded into it as faculties, including the School of Engineering (1816), the Kasr Al Ainy School of Medicine (1827), and the Schools of Pharmacy, Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture, Law, Commerce and Dar Al-Uloom.
Its main campus is in Giza, part of Greater Cairo, crowned by the domed main building. The university lists more than 25 faculties and institutes, from Engineering, Medicine, Pharmacy, Oral and Dental Medicine and Computers and Artificial Intelligence to Economics and Political Science, Mass Communication, Archaeology, Law and Dar El-Ulum, plus the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences. THE's 2026 ranking data count about 173,000 students, which makes it a very large university by any standard.
Its graduates include three Nobel laureates, Naguib Mahfouz, Yasser Arafat and Mohamed ElBaradei, and a long list of Egyptian and Arab political leaders. Cairo University suits students who want a large, established public university with deep roots in medicine, engineering, law and the humanities, and who are ready to navigate Egypt's centralised admissions system.
منارة العلم، منطلق الابتكار
“Beacon of Knowledge, Launchpad of Innovation” — university motto
Why students choose CU
Kasr Al Ainy, the Faculty of Medicine, traces its roots to 1827 and launched a French-language medicine track (KAF) from 2025-26.
More than 25 faculties and institutes on one main campus, from engineering and computing to archaeology and mass communication.
An Expatriates Care Bureau, set up in 2007, handles international students' papers, admission decisions and orientation.
Graduates include three Nobel laureates and a UN Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Admissions
2027-28 academic year
Selectivity
Cairo University does not publish an acceptance rate. Entry is competitive and grade-based, especially for medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and engineering, but minimum scores for international (wafedeen) applicants are not published on the university's English website.
International (wafedeen) undergraduate applications to Egyptian public universities, including Cairo University, go through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt admissions portal (admission.study-in-egypt.gov.eg). Cairo University's guide states that the Ministry of Higher Education's Central Administration for Expatriate Students is the only body that admits international students; it issues an initial nomination after checking your certificate, passport, birth certificate and photos, and the nomination becomes final once the originals are reviewed. Cairo University's Expatriates Care Bureau then processes papers and runs orientation for new international students.
Typical entry requirements
| Egyptian Thanaweya Amma or an equivalent secondary certificate | Certified original certificate required; minimum grades are set by Egypt's Central Administration for Expatriate Students and are not published by Cairo University. Faculties that require an aptitude (capacities) test need its result. |
|---|
Deadlines
Cairo University does not publish international application deadlines on its English website; dates for 2027-28 entry are set through the Study in Egypt portal. Check the portal and the Expatriates Care Bureau for the current window.
How to apply
International (wafedeen) undergraduate applications to Egyptian public universities, including Cairo University, go through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt admissions portal (admission.study-in-egypt.gov.eg). Cairo University's guide states that the Ministry of Higher Education's Central Administration for Expatriate Students is the only body that admits international students; it issues an initial nomination after checking your certificate, passport, birth certificate and photos, and the nomination becomes final once the originals are reviewed. Cairo University's Expatriates Care Bureau then processes papers and runs orientation for new international students.
What admissions looks for
- A completed secondary-school certificate accepted for the chosen faculty, with competitive grades for medical and engineering faculties.
- Complete, authenticated documents submitted through the national Study in Egypt portal.
Tips for applying to CU
- 1 Start on the Study in Egypt portal: international applicants to Egyptian public universities apply there rather than directly to Cairo University.
- 2 Contact the Expatriates Care Bureau, based in the historic Arab Council building on campus, if your papers need review or you need help after arrival.
- 3 If you are interested in medicine and speak French, look at Kasr Al Ainy's French-language KAF track, taught and examined in French over five years.
- 4 Ask about housing early: the university allocates accommodation for international students in Sheikh Zayed City.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Cairo University's own international-student guide (issued December 2017) sets fees under Ministerial Decree 27 of 2016, payable in US dollars: a one-off registration fee of USD 1,500 and annual fees of USD 6,000 for Medicine and Dentistry, USD 5,000 for Engineering, Computing, Pharmacy and Physical Therapy, USD 4,000 for Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture, Science and Nursing, and USD 3,000 for other faculties. These are old figures and may have changed, so no current tuition value is given here; confirm on the Study in Egypt portal. The guide also lists reductions for some nationalities, for example 50% for certain Palestinian and Syrian students.
- USD 3,000-6,000 by faculty, plus USD 1,500 one-off registration
- Annual fees in CU's 2017 guide (may be outdated)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Medicine (Kasr Al Ainy)
One of the first medical schools in Africa and the Middle East (1827); a French-language track (KAF) with 314 credit points over ten semesters started in 2025-26.
Engineering
Grew out of the Muhandess Khana school of engineering founded in 1816.
Law
The School of Law dates from 1868 and is one of the university's founding schools.
Economics and Political Science
A dedicated faculty for economics and political science; UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is among Cairo University's graduates.
Archaeology
A dedicated Faculty of Archaeology for students drawn to Egypt's ancient past.
Research
- The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES) are part of the university.
- Mohamed Atalla, inventor of the MOSFET, and Taher Elgamal, designer of the ElGamal encryption system, are Cairo University graduates.
- The Faculty of Nanotechnology for Postgraduate Studies and a new central library support postgraduate research.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Medicine (Kasr Al Ainy)
- Faculty of Pharmacy
- Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine
- Faculty of Computers and Artificial Intelligence
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Economics and Political Science
- Faculty of Mass Communication
- Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Archaeology
- Faculty of Arts
- Faculty of Dar El-Ulum
Student life
Cairo University's main campus in Giza is a large, palm-lined site around the domed main hall, close to the Nile and central Cairo. The university offers students medical care, sports, cultural and recreational activities, and has a central library alongside faculty libraries. International students are supported by the Expatriates Care Bureau, which organises welcome meetings, links students to health, cultural and recreational services, and allocates housing for international students in Sheikh Zayed City.
- The domed main building is the university's best-known landmark.
- Expatriates Care Bureau for international students, founded in 2007.
- Housing for international students in Sheikh Zayed City.
- Medical care, cultural and recreational activities for students, and a new central library.
Housing. The Expatriates Care Bureau allocates residence buildings for international students in Sheikh Zayed City.
Location
Cairo University is in Giza, part of Greater Cairo, Egypt's capital region. The university describes its location as in the heart of Greater Cairo, close to all services and entertainment sites. International students can live in university-allocated housing in Sheikh Zayed City.
Nearest airport: Cairo International Airport (CAI)
Notable alumni
- NM Naguib MahfouzNovelist, Nobel Prize in Literature 1988
- BB Boutros Boutros-GhaliSixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (1992-1996)
- ME Mohamed ElBaradeiDiplomat, Nobel Peace Prize 2005
- MY Magdi YacoubCardiothoracic surgeon and professor at Imperial College London
- MA Mohamed AtallaEngineer who invented the MOSFET transistor
- TE Taher ElgamalCryptographer, designer of ElGamal encryption, known as a 'father of SSL'
- OS Omar SharifActor, Academy Award nominee and three-time Golden Globe winner
- YK Yuriko KoikeGovernor of Tokyo and former Japanese Minister of Defense
Frequently asked questions
How do international students apply to Cairo University?
Through the Egyptian government's Study in Egypt admissions portal, which handles international (wafedeen) applications to public universities. Cairo University's Expatriates Care Bureau then reviews papers and issues admission decisions.
What are Cairo University's fees for international students?
Cairo University's own guide for international students, issued in 2017, lists annual fees of USD 3,000 to 6,000 depending on the faculty (USD 6,000 for Medicine and Dentistry) plus a one-off USD 1,500 registration fee. These figures may be out of date, so check the Study in Egypt portal for 2027-28 fees.
Can I study medicine in French at Cairo University?
Yes. Kasr Al Ainy's KAF programme, introduced for first-year students in 2025-26, teaches and assesses medicine in French over five years (ten semesters).
Does Cairo University have housing for international students?
Yes. The Expatriates Care Bureau allocates residence buildings for international students in Sheikh Zayed City.
Which famous people studied at Cairo University?
Alumni include Nobel laureates Naguib Mahfouz, Yasser Arafat and Mohamed ElBaradei, UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, surgeon Magdi Yacoub and actor Omar Sharif.
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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