Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis

About Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis

UGB is an independent public university recognized within Senegal’s higher-education system. ANAQ-Sup, the national quality-assurance authority, identifies it as public and lists its Licence in Applied Economics as an accredited program in 2026. This current regulatory evidence, together with active admissions, degree catalogues and doctoral regulations, confirms that the institution is operating and grants higher-education qualifications. The institution began as the Université de Saint-Louis under legislation enacted on 2 January 1990 and received its first students in December that year. A 1996 decree gave it the name Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, commemorating the Saint-Louis-born philosopher Gaston Berger. The university’s official history places the 240-hectare campus at Sanar, approximately 12 kilometres from Saint-Louis along the national road toward Mauritania. UGB’s structure spans eight broad academic domains: letters, languages and arts; agricultural sciences; education and training; human and social sciences; health sciences; economics and management; science and technology; and law, politics and public administration. This breadth makes it relevant to students seeking either disciplinary academic study or professionally oriented routes. Applicants should still evaluate the exact curriculum, delivery format and admission route of an individual program, because requirements and fees can differ between standard public programs, continuing education and fee-paying professional courses.

Admission routes depend on the applicant’s level and program. UGB’s admissions guidance states that Senegalese baccalaureate holders are directed through Campusen, the national orientation platform. A student must receive and validate an orientation proposal before completing UGB’s administrative and pedagogical registration. Capacity is set jointly by university academic bodies and the responsible ministry, so holding the school-leaving qualification does not by itself guarantee placement. After placement, administrative registration is annual, personal and compulsory. UGB describes payment of the applicable registration charge, presentation at registration stations, issuance of a certificate and student card, and a separate compulsory pedagogical registration within the relevant UFR. The pedagogical step confirms the student’s pathway and permits participation in teaching activities and assessment. Graduate, doctoral, professional, transfer and international applicants should use the call or rules for the exact program rather than the first-year Campusen route. Master’s programs may select applicants on dossier within available capacity, while doctoral admission requires a relevant Master or accepted equivalent. The reviewed central pages do not publish a universal 2026/27 application calendar, language-test rule or international deadline. Applicants should therefore confirm the current call, document list, deadline, prior-degree recognition and teaching language with the relevant UFR or institute before applying.

UGB follows Senegal’s Licence-Master-Doctorat framework. The university explains the standard sequence as a three-year Licence, a two-year Master following the Licence, and doctoral study after the Master. Programs are organized in semesters and teaching units carrying credits. The official course catalogue shows provision at Licence, Master and doctoral levels, alongside engineering qualifications, a state medical diploma and other credentials. Those additional awards should be assessed on their own terms rather than assumed to equal a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The published fields cover humanities and arts, agriculture, education, social sciences, health, economics and management, science and technology, and law and public administration. Examples visible in official materials include applied economics, agribusiness, organizational management, sociology, applied mathematics and biological analysis. The catalogue includes both academically oriented and professionally oriented routes, and some offerings use distance or blended delivery. Program pages should be checked individually because entry stage, prerequisites, study mode and charges are not uniform. Doctoral study is institutionally established through UGB’s doctoral schools. Its regulations require an appropriate Master or recognized equivalent for doctoral admission and describe research supervision, supporting seminars and training, and conditions for thesis defense. ANAQ-Sup accredits programs individually for five-year periods; therefore, applicants should consult the authority’s current database for the precise accreditation status of their intended program rather than infer institution-wide accreditation from one listing.

Key Highlights

• Public university recognized by Senegal’s ANAQ-Sup
• Founded by law in 1990 and renamed for Gaston Berger in 1996
• Main 240-hectare campus at Sanar, about 12 km from Saint-Louis
• Academic activity spans eight broad fields

Student Life & Environment

Student services at Sanar are divided between the university and the Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires de Saint-Louis, or CROUS. The CROUS housing page describes 17 university residences across Campus I and Campus II. Beds are assigned subject to availability, so admission to UGB should not be treated as a housing guarantee. The page currently displays monthly rents of XOF 3,000 per bed in a shared room and XOF 4,000 for an individual room, plus a XOF 5,000 deposit for first-time recipients. Applicants should confirm these amounts and eligibility directly before budgeting. CROUS also operates or coordinates dining, medical and social support, and cultural and sporting activities. Its listed health team includes doctors, nurses, laboratory staff, a midwife and a social worker. The UGB student card serves as a library card and as a CROUS credential for access to student services after registration. The setting is strongly campus-based rather than central-city living. This can simplify access to classes and student services, but limited bed availability makes an alternative accommodation plan important. In July 2026, CROUS reported planned rehabilitation or construction affecting residences, dining facilities and the medical-social centre; students should ask whether works affect current capacity or service locations.

Location & Surroundings

UGB’s principal campus is at Sanar in the rural community of Gandon, south of Saint-Louis. The university places it approximately 12 kilometres from the city on the N2 corridor toward Richard-Toll and Mauritania. The campus lies between the communities known as Sanar Peulh and Sanar Wolof, and students commonly use “Sanar” as a shorthand for the university. This location matters when comparing UGB with an urban-centre institution. Daily academic life, housing, dining and many services are concentrated on or near campus, while access to central Saint-Louis requires transport. Students seeking private accommodation should verify the route and travel time to Sanar rather than relying only on a listing described as being in Saint-Louis. Saint-Louis itself is a historically significant city in northern Senegal, but the university’s official address and physical campus are distinct from its central historic districts. Prospective international students should plan arrival, local transport and initial registration logistics in advance and obtain current instructions directly from UGB or CROUS.

Costs & Career Outcomes

UGB’s official registration-fee page publishes separate schedules for Senegalese and assimilated foreign students and for other international students. It lists totals of XOF 25,000 for Licence, XOF 50,000 for Master and XOF 75,000 for doctorate in the first category; the corresponding published totals for non-assimilated international students are XOF 200,000, XOF 400,000 and XOF 1,000,000. However, the webpage does not identify the academic year to which this schedule applies. These amounts are useful reference points, not confirmed 2026/27 prices, and students should obtain written confirmation. Fee-paying professional and continuing-education programs can have additional tuition. CROUS currently displays housing rents of XOF 3,000 per month for a bed in a shared room and XOF 4,000 for an individual room, subject to availability, with a XOF 5,000 first-allocation deposit. No complete official 2026/27 cost-of-attendance budget covering food, transport, books and personal expenses was found. Career support is provided through UGB’s cooperation and career-insertion directorate. Its services include career guidance, CV and interview workshops, help accessing internships, continuing education and meetings with employers. UGB also reported an employment fair in February 2025 involving employers, workshops and student pitches. These services indicate practical support, but the reviewed sources provide no verified employment rate, starting salary or employer-outcome dataset, so prospective students should not infer guaranteed placement.