Scholarships for Foreigners in Egypt, Al-Azhar and Government Grants

What kinds of scholarships exist in Egypt

In Egypt the word «scholarship» means different things. To avoid confusion, let us split them into four types.

• Al-Azhar grant. Full support for Muslim foreigners: tuition, housing and a monthly allowance. Places are shared out between countries by quota.
• EGYAID programme. The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education pays for tuition, but not for living costs.
• Internal grants for those already studying in Egypt. For example, a monthly allowance from the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
• Discounts and scholarships from universities themselves, especially private ones. Each university sets its own terms.

What an Al-Azhar grant covers

According to the programme description for the 2025/2026 academic year, an Al-Azhar grant includes:

• Full tuition.
• A place in a dormitory of the Madinat al-Buouth campus, with meals.
• A monthly allowance for expenses.
• Medical care.
• A free Arabic course for those who do not speak it.

How quotas reach students

Al-Azhar gives each country a set number of places, and the number changes. For example, in 2026 Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission announced that, following a letter from the Egyptian embassy, the number of grants for Pakistanis on the Shariah bachelor’s programme had grown from 30 to 50. Candidates are usually nominated by official bodies: the Egyptian embassy, a state body for religious affairs or education, or a spiritual administration.

Al-Azhar does not publish the amount of the monthly allowance. Whether flights are paid depends on the terms of the quota, so check in advance. Here is what is known for our countries:

• Uzbekistan. Applications to study at Al-Azhar are accepted by the Consultative Council of the Committee on Religious Affairs in Tashkent. For the current year applications run from 25 June to 15 July, for later years from 1 August to 30 June. You need an application, a copy of your passport or ID card, your education certificate, a character reference and an autobiography.
• Kazakhstan. In 2021 the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan said that under its agreement with Al-Azhar the number of grants had been doubled to 50 a year, for further training of imams. Ask the Spiritual Administration about intakes.
• Kyrgyzstan. We found no public announcements of quotas, so ask the Muftiate and the Egyptian embassy. And remember that under the 2025 law you must inform the National Agency for Religious Affairs and Interethnic Relations in writing before travelling for religious study.
• Russia and other countries. Ask the Egyptian embassy and your spiritual administration.

Which documents a grant application needs

The list depends on the country and the year. An announcement of Al-Azhar grants for 2026/2027, published by one country’s ministry of education, asked for:

• An application form filled in online on admission.study-in-egypt.gov.eg.
• An Al-Azhar school certificate or equivalent, certified by your country’s foreign ministry.
• A list of subjects from the school certificate and a statement that it qualifies you for university.
• A birth certificate with the names and nationality of your parents.
• A passport copy and six photos.
• A certificate of good conduct.
• A medical certificate showing no infectious diseases, certified by the Egyptian embassy.

Living in Madinat al-Buouth

Al-Azhar dormitories for foreigners are in the Madinat al-Buouth campuses. Under the rules published on the Al-Azhar website, a student can live there if they study on an Al-Azhar grant, their family lives permanently outside Egypt, and their passport has a study visa. You also need a certificate from the Egyptian authorities showing no infectious diseases, submitted again after every trip abroad. And of course there must be a free place.

Meals are served in the canteen with coupons. The rules are strict: for repeated violations a grant can be turned into an «external» one, without housing, and for serious offences it can be cancelled and the student deported.

The government EGYAID programme

The Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education runs the EGYAID programme for foreigners. Applications go through the Study in Egypt platform (admission.study-in-egypt.gov.eg), and you cannot apply directly to a university.

In 2025/2026 the programme took students for master’s and doctoral studies and for Arabic courses. The grant covered only tuition and registration. The student paid for housing, transport, insurance and flights, and after a failed preparatory year the grant dropped to half of the tuition. The conditions were not to have received a similar Egyptian grant before and to keep at least a «good» grade. Applications closed on 15 September 2025.

Egypt also offers some places through intergovernmental programmes. These are announced by your country’s ministry of education, so follow its website.

Grants for those already studying

If you are an Al-Azhar student living legally in Egypt, you can apply for a grant from the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs at the Ministry of Awqaf. The intake for 2026/2027 opened in June 2026, with only 15 days to register. The conditions were:

• Official residency in Egypt.
• No other scholarship in Egypt and no funding from your own government.
• For university students, a «good» grade or higher for 2025/2026, and for students of Al-Azhar institutes, a passed year.
• Once approved, students receive a monthly allowance and invitations to seminars, conferences and trips.

How not to be cheated

• Nobody can guarantee a grant for money. Pay only the official fees listed on university and platform websites.
• Check announcements on official websites: azhar.eg, azu.edu.eg, the Egyptian embassy and the state bodies of your country.
• Do not hand original documents to middlemen.
• Deadlines are short and change every year, so follow the news on official pages.

How Tullab can help

People from home who have already gone through quotas and grants share their experience in university admission. Read about admission itself in how to get into Al-Azhar, and brush up your Arabic before exams in Arabic language.

Do you help with documents or teach Arabic? Post a free listing, and students who are only planning to come to Egypt will find you.