University of Tunis El Manar
Université de Tunis El Manar / جامعة تونس المنار
The Tunisian university with the most research structures, home to the Tunis medical faculty, ENIT and Institut Pasteur.
- Students
- 29,617
- Founded
- 1987
- QS World Ranking
- #655
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
About UTM
The University of Tunis El Manar (UTM) is a public university created in 1987 as the University of Science, Technology and Medicine of Tunis and given its current name in 2000. It groups some of Tunisia's oldest higher-education institutions and, according to the university, the largest number of research structures of any Tunisian university.
UTM is made up of 15 institutions: four faculties (Law and Political Sciences, Medicine, Economics and Management, and the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis), nine institutes including the Institut Pasteur de Tunis, the Institut Supérieur d'Informatique and the Bourguiba Institute of Modern Languages, and two schools, the Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis (ENIT) and a school of health sciences and techniques. In 2025/2026 it had 29,617 students and about 3,724 teaching staff, 1,800 of whom also work in hospitals.
Programmes follow the LMD system (53 licences, 98 master's programmes and 25 doctoral programmes), plus 22 engineering programmes, 9 preparatory engineering cycles and medicine. Tunisian students are assigned through the national university orientation after the baccalauréat; international students come mainly through government cooperation quotas or a fee-paying international programme. UTM suits students aiming at medicine, engineering, law or the sciences in a French- and Arabic-speaking academic setting.
Why students choose UTM
The Faculty of Medicine of Tunis runs the national Doctor of Medicine track: two years of PCEM, four years of DCEM (the last one a hospital internship year), then a two-year third cycle for the family-medicine doctorate, eight years in all.
ENIT and UTM's own preparatory engineering institute offer a path into 22 engineering programmes.
Research is dense: 102 laboratories, 4 research units and 304 doctoral theses defended in 2024-2025.
Students from 35 nationalities and 163 framework agreements with partner institutions.
Admissions
2026/2027 academic year (for 2027/2028 entry, the same routes apply)
Selectivity
UTM does not publish an acceptance rate. Tunisian baccalauréat holders are assigned to programmes through the national university orientation run by the Ministry of Higher Education, based on their baccalauréat results and choices. International undergraduates are selected on the academic quality of their file, programme requirements and available places.
Typical entry requirements
| Tunisian baccalauréat | Admission through the national university orientation (fiche d'orientation) after the baccalauréat |
|---|---|
| International applicants, selective programmes | Baccalauréat (or equivalent) obtained in the year of application with at least the grade 'Bien' for preparatory engineering classes, medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine and architecture |
| International applicants, other programmes | Baccalauréat obtained in the year of application (sometimes the previous year) with at least 'Assez Bien'; age limits between 18 and 23 depending on the institution |
Deadlines
No fixed dates are published on UTM's pages. Cooperation-quota deadlines are communicated each year to Tunisian embassies and to embassies accredited in Tunisia; Tunisian students follow the national orientation calendar in July-August after the baccalauréat. The academic year starts in the second week of September.
How to apply
Tunisian students receive a place through the national university orientation portal (orientation.tn) after the baccalauréat. International students either apply for a cooperation-programme place (with or without a Tunisian government scholarship), submitted through diplomatic channels to the Ministry's Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGCI) within the deadlines sent each year to embassies, or join the Ministry's fee-paying programme for international students. Registration is completed online at inscription.tn with the identification number issued by the DGCI.
What admissions looks for
- A strong baccalauréat: at least 'Bien' for medicine, pharmacy, dental medicine, architecture and preparatory engineering classes.
- A recent baccalauréat, obtained in the year of application for most programmes.
- For cooperation places, an official nomination from your government to Tunisia's DGCI.
- Final acceptance depends on a favourable opinion from the institution's scientific committee.
Tips for applying to UTM
- 1 If you want a scholarship, ask your own ministry or the Tunisian embassy about the annual cooperation quota: candidates must be officially proposed to the DGCI.
- 2 Apply in the year you pass your baccalauréat; most programmes do not accept older diplomas.
- 3 Keep your DGCI identification number: you need it to register remotely on inscription.tn.
- 4 Plan for French: Tunisia's guide for international students lists Arabic as the mother tongue and French as the second language.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in TND
International students admitted through the cooperation programme may receive a Tunisian government scholarship with university housing, subject to DGCI approval; the Ministry's guide (2020/21 edition) lists a monthly scholarship of 120 dinars (1,320 dinars a year) for the first three years of a licence. A separate programme admits international students on payment of registration fees, which are not published on UTM's pages. Tunisian students can apply for university housing if their family lives more than 30 km away.
- 120 dinars a month, 1,320 dinars a year
- Government scholarship, licence years 1-3 (2020/21 guide)
- 160 dinars a month, 1,760 dinars a year
- Government scholarship, first-year master's (2020/21 guide)
Academics
Academic calendar: Academic year starts in the second week of September
Doctor of Medicine (Faculté de Médecine de Tunis)
Eight years to the national Doctor of Medicine: a two-year first cycle (PCEM), a four-year second cycle ending in a hospital internship year (DCEM 4), and a two-year third cycle in family medicine; specialists continue with a 4-5 year residency.
Engineering (ENIT)
ENIT is one of UTM's two schools and hosts the doctoral school in engineering sciences and techniques; alumni include UN official Mongi Hamdi.
Law and Political Science
The Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Tunis hosts a doctoral school in legal and political sciences; former prime minister Hichem Mechichi took his law master's here.
Computer Science (Institut Supérieur d'Informatique)
UTM's dedicated computing institute.
Preparatory engineering cycle (IPEIM)
UTM runs 9 preparatory cycles for engineering studies; international applicants need at least 'Bien' in the baccalauréat for preparatory classes.
Research
- UTM counts 102 research laboratories, 4 research units and 106 research structures, and 304 doctoral theses defended in 2024-2025.
- The Institut Pasteur de Tunis and the Institut de Recherche Vétérinaire de Tunis are among UTM's institutions.
- UTM hosts two UNESCO chairs, in mathematics and development and in copyright.
Schools & faculties
- Faculté de Droit et des Sciences Politiques de Tunis
- Faculté de Médecine de Tunis
- Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion de Tunis
- Faculté des Sciences de Tunis
- Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Tunis (ENIT)
- Ecole Supérieure des Sciences et Techniques de la Santé de Tunis
- Institut Pasteur de Tunis
- Institut Supérieur d'Informatique
- Institut Préparatoire aux Etudes d'Ingénieurs El Manar
- Institut Bourguiba des Langues Vivantes
- Institut Supérieur des Sciences Biologiques Appliquées de Tunis
- Institut Supérieur des Sciences Humaines de Tunis
Student life
UTM's institutions are spread across Tunis, with the university headquarters on the Farhat Hached university campus. Student housing is run by the Office des Oeuvres Universitaires: Tunisian students whose family lives more than 30 km away can apply after receiving their orientation, and international scholarship holders are housed with DGCI approval, while others use private residences. Every student at a public institution can eat in the university restaurants, and the university runs clubs, cultural and sports activities, and psychological support.
- Students from 35 nationalities.
- University restaurants open to all students at public institutions.
- Clubs, cultural and sports activities, and sustainable-development clubs.
- Free psychological support for students at public universities.
Housing. University housing is allocated through the Office des Oeuvres Universitaires to Tunisian students from more than 30 km away and to international scholarship holders approved by the DGCI; other international students use private residences.
Location
Tunis is Tunisia's capital and largest city, on the Mediterranean coast. UTM's headquarters are on the Farhat Hached university campus (Rommana, 1068 Tunis), and its 15 institutions are spread across the city. The Ministry's guide notes that Arabic is the mother tongue and French the second language, so French is widely used in higher education.
Nearest airport: Tunis-Carthage International Airport (TUN)
Notable alumni
- HM Hichem MechichiPrime Minister of Tunisia (2020-2021); master's in law from the Faculty of Law and Political Science
- MH Mongi HamdiForeign minister of Tunisia and head of the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA); engineering degree from ENIT
- FC Faouzia CharfiPhysicist and Minister of State for Education (2011); doctorates from the Faculty of Science of Tunis
- SG Semia GharbiEnvironmentalist, 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa; bachelor's degree
- AC Aya ChebbiFirst African Union Envoy on Youth; bachelor's in international relations
- MC Moez ChakchoukDirector of government affairs and regulatory policy at Packet Clearing House; MS from ENIT and PhD jointly from Paris Descartes and Tunis El Manar
Frequently asked questions
How do international students get into the University of Tunis El Manar?
Either through a cooperation quota, applied for via your government and diplomatic channels to Tunisia's DGCI (with or without a scholarship), or through the Ministry's fee-paying international programme. Registration is then done online at inscription.tn.
What grades do I need for medicine at Tunis El Manar?
International applicants for medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, architecture and preparatory engineering classes need a baccalauréat from the year of application with at least the grade 'Bien'.
How do Tunisian students get a place at UTM?
Through the national university orientation after the baccalauréat, managed by the Ministry of Higher Education on orientation.tn.
What language are courses taught in at UTM?
UTM's pages do not state a single language of instruction; its website is in French, and the Ministry's guide notes that Arabic is Tunisia's mother tongue and French its second language.
How many students does the University of Tunis El Manar have?
29,617 students in 2025/2026, taught by about 3,724 teachers across 15 institutions.
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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