There are over a thousand universities in West Africa, and it might interest you to find out the top-ranking universities in the West Africa region.
According to data obtained from the Times Higher Education 2022 ranking, we’ll show you the 10 best universities in North Africa.
The ranking rates university performance using 13 different indicators measuring teaching, research, research impact, innovation and international outlook. In case you’re contemplating enrolling in a university in North Africa, here are the top-ranked universities you should consider.
Top Ranking Universities In North Africa
Below is the list of the top 10 best ranking universities in North Africa. According to the list, 8 Universities from Egypt make the top 10, while Tunisia is represented with 2 universities
1. ASWAN UNIVERSITY, EGYPT
Aswan University is ranked best University in North Africa and sixth best in Africa. Located in the Egyptian market city of Aswan, Aswan University first opened its doors as a branch of Assuit University in 1976.
The institution is dedicated to providing quality teaching in a wide range of subjects, including education, social work, engineering, agriculture and archaeology among many others. To this end, the university plays host to a wide range of high-quality facilities.
This great institution provides an integrated care programme for its over 30, 785 students, intended to provide housing, study and recreational facilities to best suit their needs. These include a number of dedicated research facilities for the study of plants and animals, science labs and industrial centres, and a university-run information centre and communication network.
Aswan University also plays host to a yearly sports festival and regularly competes against other universities in various events.
2. Ferhat Abbas Sétif University, Algeria
According to the ranking, Ferhat Abbas Sétif University is ranked 2nd best University in North Africa and 10th in Africa. It is located in Eastern Algeria’s commercial capital. It is often described as the cradle of Algerian independence. Founded in 1978 as the Sétif University Centre, the university takes its name from a political leader in the civil war which led to separation from France in 1962.
At inception, it had 242 students in schools of economics, exact science and technology and foreign languages. It then grew to attain full university status in 1989. The university was divided into two institutions in 2011. Ferhat Abbas Sétif University 2 was dedicated to law and political science, humanities, literature and languages.
Ferhat Abbas Sétif University 1 has eight faculties, offers a total of 141 degree courses, 39 research institutes and an experimental farm – from three campuses.
3. Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt
This is a relatively young University that was established in 2006. It has a student population of around 30,000 and 1,500 faculty members. The institution’s buildings had previously been a part of Tanta University. It is the 3rd best University in the North Africa and 10th in Africa
It is located in the northern Egyptian town of Kafr-El-Sheikh with a modern campus with plenty of greenery. Kafrelsheikh University has 19 faculties, five of which are scientific, seven of which are health-related, with the other six dedicated to the humanities. It is also host to three research institutes: the Nano Science and Technology Institute; the Institute of Drug Discovery and Development; and the Technical Institute of Nursing.
According to the Global Green Matric ranking, Kafrelsheikh is the second most environmentally friendly university in the Arab World. It is also gaining a reputation nationally as a research centre, ranking fourth among the country’s universities in international research citations.
4. Mansoura University, Egypt
Mansoura University started as a faculty of medicine under the authority of Cairo University, established in 1962. In 1972, a presidential decree established a university under the name ‘East Delta University’, although it became known as Mansoura University a year later.
The university is located on the east bank of the Nile, around 120km northwest of Cairo in the city of Mansoura. Mansoura University’s main campus is located in the city centre and is comprised of 15 faculties, as well as three large accommodation complexes, a student hospital, restaurants, a dining hall and a well-equipped sports complex.
Four of the university faculties – the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Special Education, the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, and the Faculty of Kindergartens – are located off-campus.
The university is known for its medical facilities, with nine major hospitals and medical centres including a children’s hospital, a Medical Experimental Research Centre (MERC) and a Urology and Nephrology Centre – in fact, the Urology and Nephrology Centre is the largest of its kind in the whole of Africa, and was established by renowned Egyptian urologist Mohamed Ghoneim.
5. Suez Canal University, Egypt
This University was established in 1976 and is located near Ismailia on the west bank of the Suez Canal.
The university started with six faculties: the faculty of science, the faculty of agriculture, the faculty of commerce, the faculty of engineering, the faculty of technology and the faculty of education. Today there are more than 20 faculties, divided between different branches of Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Suez, Port Said and El-Arish.
According to the university’s research plan, Suez Canal University are intending to become a centre of excellence in the field of applied scientific research and scientific innovation, as well as continuing to develop partnerships with universities across the world and to help provide practical solutions to the problems and needs of the Suez Canal and Sinai regions.
The Medical Education Department at the Suez Canal University (MED-SCU) was established in 2001 and was the first such department to be founded in Arab region Egyptian universities.
Suez Canal University is a very large institution – one of the largest in the region, with thousands of students enrolled studying at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree level
6. Cairo University, Egypt
Cairo University is one of Egypt’s oldest universities and was founded in 1908. It has a student population of about 230,000. Three percent of these student populations are international students. International students living in Egypt enjoy relatively low living cost .
The university has more than 25 faculties. English is the first language in Cairo University. This implies that students are taught in English Language. CU has several striking buildings and fascinating sites, including the Central Library.
According to Times Higher Education ranking, CU is the 17th best university in Africa and 6th in North Africa.
Click here to see the list of courses offered at CU
7. Oran 1 University, Algeria
Oran 1 University is one of the largest universities in Algeria. It was originally founded in 1961 as the National Symbol of Medicine and Pharmacy, and became an independent university in 1967. Located in the commercial and cultural hub of Algeria, Oran is the second largest city and industrial hub in the country.
This university has five faculties for students including exact and Applied Science, Humanities and Islamic Sciences, Literature and Arts, Medicine, and Natural and Life Sciences. The University also has two institutes: The Institute of Science and Applied Technology, and the Institute of Translation
Research is an integral part of the university’s culture. There are more than 60 accredited research laboratories and 800 researchers involved in the latest projects of the university.
Oran 1 University is ranked the 17th best university in the continent and 7th in North Africa.
8. American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt
AUC is a private, coeducational, doctoral institution with a liberal arts curriculum. The university is located with a residential neighbourhood of Washington, DC. At inception, the university started with ONLY 28 students, four of which were women.
The university is home to 8 schools and colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, Kogod School of Business, School of Education, School of International Service, School of Communication, School of Professional and Extended Studies, School of Public Affairs and the Washington College of Law.
AUC offers 79 undergraduate degrees programmes, 98 master’s degrees programmes, 13 law degrees and more than 90 certificate programmes for both undergraduate and post graduates, as well as over 100 study abroad programmes
AUC is ranked 24th best university in Africa and 8th best in North Africa and is also one of the cheapest universities in Egypt
Benha University
Benha University is a public university in the northern Egyptian city of Benha (also spelled Banha). The institution was founded in 1976 as a branch of Zagazig University, but became an independent entity in 2005. Benha University now has over 100,000 undergraduate and over 26,000 postgraduate students enrolled, with an academic staff numbering 5,000.
The university has 15 faculties, including medicine; veterinary science; arts and law. Despite being a relatively young institution as a whole, Benha’s agricultural faculty is one of the oldest in Egypt, having been originally founded as a secondary school in 1911.
There are two separate engineering departments at the university, one based in Benha and another in Shubra, a district of the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Other university buildings can be found in Moshtohor,
Benha is well connected to Cairo and the train line between the two cities is currently being modernised to shorten the journey time. At present, it takes 40 minutes to get from Benha to the Egyptian capital.
Benha University is ranked 24th best in Africa and 9th in North Africa
Beni-Suef University
Beni-Suef University (BSU) is a co-educational, non-profit public higher education institution, situated on the banks of the River Nile, 120km south of Cairo, Egypt in the large city of Beni Suef. It was established as an independent university in 2005, though it started out in 1975 as the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University. Today, it has 12 faculties.
These include the faculties of Commerce, Law, Education and Arts, Computers and Information, Industrial Education and Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, Science, Medicine, Pharmacy, Nursing, Physical Education, and the Institute of Nursing.
There are three campuses, one at the entrance of the city, one in the east on the Nile, and a new campus on 300 acres, also in the east on the Nile. These include a library, housing and various sports facilities.
