How to Enroll at Al-Azhar from the CIS, Documents, Arabic, Deadlines
Study and work7 min read
A step by step guide for students from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia or Tajikistan on enrolling at Al-Azhar, which documents to prepare early and how not to lose a year.
Which route to Al-Azhar fits you
Al-Azhar is not a single university but a whole system: institutes for foreign students (the al-Buus institutes), Arabic language centers and the university itself, with faculties in Cairo and other cities. Where you start depends on your school certificate and your Arabic. Under Al-Azhar rules, foreign applicants have four main options:
- Your certificate is equivalent to that of the Al-Azhar secondary institutes for foreign students. With it you apply to the religious and Arabic faculties.
- A regular school certificate. With it you can apply to non-religious faculties (sciences and humanities) if it gives access to university in your home country and is certified by the embassy and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
- No certificate and no Arabic, under 30. First up to two years at the Al-Azhar Arabic language institute, then a placement test and enrollment in the preparatory or secondary stage of an Al-Azhar institute.
- Arabic but no certificate, under 30. A placement test and straight into the preparatory or secondary stage.
Preparatory Arabic and the equivalency exam
In the religious and Arabic faculties everything is taught in Arabic. The university requires non-Arabic speakers to pass the required language levels at an accredited Al-Azhar language center or at the Sheikh Zayed Center for Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers. Study starts with a placement test, followed by levels from beginner to advanced.
If your certificate is a regular one but you want a Sharia or Arabic faculty, the route usually goes through the Al-Azhar institutes for foreign students or a preparatory program with an equivalency exam. For example, in 2025 the Al-Azhar Center for Developing the Education of Foreign Students enrolled non-Arabic-speaking graduates of foreign schools in such a program. The conditions were being Muslim, passing Arabic at the «Advanced 1» level and attending at least 70% of classes to be admitted to the exam.
How long the language takes depends on your starting level. So start the alphabet, reading and basic grammar at home, and in Cairo continue with a teacher from the Arabic language section.
Which documents to prepare
The official Al-Azhar list is short, but every paper is checked carefully. If you are already in Egypt and paying for yourself, you also need a copy of your valid residence permit (iqama) and approval from your embassy to study at Al-Azhar. University announcements also ask for a birth certificate or national ID number and a recent photo on a white background. The basic set for applying from abroad is:
- A copy of your valid passport.
- A medical certificate stating that you are free of infectious diseases.
- Your school certificate or diploma and other education documents.
- A certified statement that your education document allows you to enter university in your country.
- A printout of the online application form or your registration number on the website.
Legalization and Arabic translation
Egypt has not joined the Hague Apostille Convention, so education documents go through consular legalization. Usually the certificate is certified by the Foreign Ministry of your country and the Egyptian embassy, and then stamped by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in Egypt. Al-Azhar rules explicitly require certification by the embassy and the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, and the exact chain for your country is best confirmed with the Egyptian embassy before you leave.
An Arabic translation is often required too. Have it done by an accredited translation office that Egyptian authorities accept. Help with translations and paperwork can be found in documents, visas, translations.
Make several certified copies of each document and keep the originals separately. Replacing a school certificate while you are in Cairo is slow and expensive.
Deadlines and where to submit documents
You apply online on the university website and then bring the documents in person. Admission of new foreign students usually opens in summer and runs until September. For example, for the 2025/2026 academic year online applications were accepted until 15 September 2025, and documents from 27 July to 25 September.
Documents for the Sharia and Arabic faculties were handed in at the foreign students administration in Madinat al-Buus, and for the other faculties at the foreign admissions office in the main university building in Nasr City.
Classes for 2026/2027 started on 19 September 2026, so if you plan to enroll in 2027, now is the time to prepare your documents. Dates change every year and places are limited, so follow the announcements on the official websites azhar.eg and azu.edu.eg.
Citizens of Uzbekistan are admitted to all Al-Azhar institutions only on the recommendation of the Committee on Religious Affairs, and applications are reviewed by its Advisory Council in Tashkent. Citizens of other countries should also check the rules at home: in several Central Asian states, religious education abroad is regulated separately.
Student residence in Egypt
Once enrolled, you need a student residence permit (iqama). It is issued by the passport administration based on documents from Al-Azhar and is usually renewed every year while you study.
In March 2026 the Al-Azhar Center for Developing the Education of Foreign Students announced that students can apply for residence at any passport office in the country, not only at the office for Islamic missions. That office still accepts students too.
Keep an eye on the expiry date: without a valid residence permit you cannot apply for many grants, and a copy is mandatory when applying from inside Egypt. If anything is unclear, ask the foreign students administration, not chat groups.
How much study costs and what scholarships exist
Self-funded students pay for their studies, housing and tickets themselves, as Al-Azhar rules state plainly. Fees for foreigners are charged in foreign currency and depend on the faculty. Check the exact amounts on the official platform or with the foreign students administration, do not trust figures from chats and do not pay middlemen for «guaranteed admission».
Al-Azhar scholarships are distributed among countries by quota. Candidates are usually nominated through official channels: the Egyptian embassy, a state body for religion or education, or the spiritual administration. According to the 2025/2026 program description, such a scholarship covers tuition, a dormitory place, a monthly stipend and medical care, and gives non-Arabic speakers a free Arabic course.
Students who already study and live in Egypt legally can apply for internal grants. For example, in 2025 the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs accepted applications from foreign Al-Azhar students with official residence and no other scholarship, and successful applicants receive a monthly allowance. Application windows for such grants are short, so watch for announcements from the start of the academic year.
How Tullab helps after you enroll
Once the documents are in, everyday questions begin. In the university admission section fellow students share their experience and offer help, and our guide on renting an apartment in Cairo will help you find housing near the university.
Do you help with translations or paperwork, or teach Arabic? Post a free ad, and newly arrived students will find you.
