Financing for equity in higher education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students
4. Support for students' living costs
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
UIS data indicate that the gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes was 54.43% in 2024. The initial government funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita and the initial household funding per tertiary student as a percentage of GDP per capita are unknown.
Tuition-free status
Laws 99-05 of 1999 and 08-06 of 2008, which regulate higher education in Algeria, do not specify that tertiary education is tuition-free.
Governance
Under Laws 99-05 (1999) and 08-06 (2008), the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) is the government body responsible for overseeing, allocating, and managing funding for public higher education institutions in Algeria.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
There are no funding mechanisms for transferring resources from the central government to local governments for public higher education.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
Under Laws 99-05 (1999) and 08-06 (2008), private higher education institutions in Algeria are authorised and supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, but they are not publicly funded, even in areas without a public university. They are expected to be financially independent and operate entirely on their own resources.
Allocation and equity
Under Laws 99-05 (1999) and 08-06 (2008) there are no mechanisms or funding formulas directly to Universities.
However, there is the National Office for University Services (ONOU), a public administrative institution created in 1995 under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. It is responsible for managing university services, including accommodation, catering, transport, and social services for higher education students. With legal personality and financial autonomy, the ONOU ensures the operational implementation of public policies defined by the State to support student life.
The ONOU operates as a centralised organisation linked to a network of decentralised structures. The ONOU coordinates, plans, and monitors policies related to university services at the national level. It defines operational guidelines, allocates financial resources provided by the State, and ensures compliance with regulatory and budgetary standards. Services are delivered by local or regional university services departments, responsible for the day-to-day management of halls of residence, university restaurants, transport, and other social services. These decentralised structures have operational management autonomy while remaining subject to the administrative and financial control of the ONOU and the supervision of the MESRS, ensuring a degree of uniformity of services throughout the country.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
Under Laws 99-05 and 08-06, there are no specific admission criteria for vulnerable groups, nor is there financial support for their admission.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research provides a national scholarship to all university students for the duration of their studies, amounting to DA 4,500, DA 3,600, or DA 2,700 per quarter, depending on the family’s income level. In addition, Algeria participates in various international scholarship programmes sponsored by partner and recipient countries, coordinated through the Ministry’s Department of Interuniversity Cooperation, but remain merit-based. These foreign-funded scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and enable Algerian students to pursue studies abroad.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
The MESRS funds university transport services, with nearly 911,000 beneficiaries. These services are provided by the ONOU.
Accommodation
According to the MESRS, the university services network comprises 66 university service departments and more than 466 university residences. These services are provided by the ONOU.
Textbooks
No information was found.
