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)
In 2025, Egypt’s gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for both sexes (UIS) was 38.04%. No UIS data on per student funding from either the government or the household level is available.
Tuition-free status
Article 19 of the Constitution (2014) guarantees free education in state institutions at various levels. Article 21 further specifies that the government is committed to developing university education and ensuring it is free in state institutions. Despite this guarantee, students are expected to pay small administrative fees. In the 1990s, the government ceased to fully finance higher education, and reforms were introduced to allow public universities to raise a portion of their own financing. Public universities are now allowed to charge tuition for certain programmes of study (primarily courses offered in foreign languages), although fees remain regulated by the central government.
Governance
The 2014 Constitution designates 2% of GNP for financing universities (Article 21). The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is responsible for overseeing the national budget, including the allotment for higher education, in accordance with national priorities. Article 9 of the Unified Public Finance Law (2022) states that the Ministry of Finance should coordinate with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) to allocate funds for universities. The MoHESR prepares a draft medium-term and annual budget, which is submitted to the MoF (Article 19). According to Article 23 of the Unified Public Finance Law (2022) and Article 124 of the Constitution (2014), the budget must be reviewed and passed into law by the House of Representatives.
Al-Azhar University is financed separately from the other universities as part of the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif system. Article 7 of the Constitution (2014) designates Al-Azhar Al-Sharif as an independent but government-funded institution and authority for Islamic affairs. Al-Azhar Al-Sharif receives its own budget allocation and administers a separate, religious education system, which includes Al-Azhar University. The overarching Al-Azhar Al-Sharif institution receives funds from the national budget and civil society institutions, as well as from its endowment investments. The competent authorities at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif are responsible for setting the university budget.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Funds are disbursed directly from the MoHESR to public universities.
2. Education resources to institutions
Funding for private universities in the absence of public institutions
Private universities do not receive government funding.
Allocation and equity
Once the parliament approves the budget for higher education, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for disbursing funds to higher education institutions, including universities and technical colleges, as stated in Article 69 of the Unified Public Finance Law (2022). The Supreme Council of Universities, which is chaired by the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, makes recommendations to the MoHESR for how much to allocate to each university (Law Governing Universities No. 39 of 1972, Articles 18 and 19). The Supreme Council of Technical Education plays a similar role, overseeing the finances of technical institutes (Law Establishing Technical Universities no. 72 of 2019, Article 14). The government also takes geographic distribution into account when allocating funds to universities. In 2025, the state committed to allocating 41% of the higher education budget to Greater Cairo and 20% Upper Egypt, a largely rural area with high rates of poverty
No funds targeting equity for specific groups were identified. However, Article 23 of the Law Governing Universities No. 39 of 1972 allows each university to administer grants and scholarships based on need or merit.
3. Education resources to students
Admission for vulnerable groups
Admission to Egyptian public universities is determined by an exam (thanawiya amma) at the end of secondary school. The number of available places in each programme and university is capped by the Supreme Council of Universities. Students can then apply for university programmes through the Central Placement Office. The Central Placement Office allocates students to universities and programmes of study based on the available seats, exam scores, and student preference.
The Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2018) guarantees access to higher education for people with disabilities. Article 44 of the disabilities law established a committee within MoHESR to oversee equal access provisions for people with disabilities. ِArticle 40 mandates that at least 5% of university student bodies be composed of students with disabilities when applicants exceed this percentage. Students with disabilities are also exempt from paying university fees if they cannot afford them (Article 40).
The MoHESR annually sets exemptions from university fees based on nationality. Exemptions have previously been granted to refugee communities such as Palestinian and Sudanese students.
Scholarships, grants and loans for vulnerable groups
The MoHESR offers EGYAID scholarships to foreign students to study at Egyptian universities. For example, 16 scholarships were offered to Malaysian students for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The MoHESR, in partnership with the Central Bank of Egypt, additionally provides scholarships for Egyptian citizens to study at private universities through the Initiative to Support Equal Opportunities in Higher Education. The initiative supports students who quality for the Takaful and Karama social welfare programme, mainly students with disabilities and those from poor backgrounds. It covers full tuition costs for certain fields of study at private universities as well as living expenses.
Starting from the academic year 2021, the Fund for the Care of Innovative and
Gifted Students was established by Ministerial Decision No. 3474 (2021). This fund is financed by collecting an annual fee of (2%) of the tuition fees of private and national university students. The fund supports students and other researchers to develop innovation skills in science and technology.
4. Support for students’ living costs
Transportation
No national support for student transportation was identified.
Accommodation
The MoHESR funds the Initiative to Support Equal Opportunities in Higher Education programme (see above), which covers the full costs of accommodation for scholarship recipients studying at private universities.
Textbooks
No national support for textbooks was identified.
This profile was reviewed by Ms. Omnia Salah, Education Specialist at the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education; and Mohamed Elasmay Mahrouse Sallem, Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Education at Sohag University.
