Medicine, Engineering, Science, Law, Commerce, Agriculture, Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy, Mass Communication
Cairo University was founded on 21 December 1908 as the Egyptian University by a private committee under royal patronage. It became a state institution in 1925 under King Fuad I. It was renamed King Fuad I University in 1940 and took the name Cairo University in the early 1950s, and the public record gives both 1952 and 1954 for the change. The university stands in Giza, across the Nile from Cairo.
The institution is very large. The infobox gives 207,853 students in 2024, while the body text of the record speaks of about 155,000. International students numbered 6,963 in 2024, and the teaching staff 14,518. The structure includes 20 faculties and three institutions. This puts Cairo University among the largest universities in Africa and the Arab world.
The medical school at Kasr Alainy is one of the first medical schools in Africa and the Middle East. Engineering, science, law, commerce and agriculture also have long traditions in the university, which trained many of the officials, engineers and professionals who built modern Egypt.
The alumni include three Nobel laureates. Naguib Mahfouz received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988. Yasser Arafat received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994, and Mohamed ElBaradei the same prize in 2005. Other names are Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the actor Omar Sharif, Mohamed Atalla, the inventor of the MOSFET, and Taher Elgamal, the designer of the ElGamal encryption system. The heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub and Amr Moussa, former Secretary-General of the Arab League, are also on the list, as is Mostafa Madbouly, a former prime minister of Egypt.
For a prospective student, the size of the university brings a wide choice but also crowded lecture halls and heavy administration. International applicants should check the official pages for the programmes taught in English and for the entry conditions. Fees depend on the faculty and the status of the student. Check the current tariff.
Applicants should read the official pages for the entry conditions of each faculty, which depend on national exam results and on the programme. Several faculties offer programmes taught in English or in foreign languages. The size of the university means that services, libraries and laboratories differ from one faculty to another.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
20 faculties and three institutions, Kasr Alainy medical school in Cairo.
Research:
Medicine, engineering, science, agriculture, law and the humanities.
Founded in 1908, 20 faculties, three Nobel laureates among its graduates, Kasr Alainy medical school, a very large student body.
Cons
Very large student body, crowded lecture halls, administrative load.
Best For
Students seeking one of the oldest and largest universities of Egypt and the Arab world.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Lisbon in Portugal shares the finance, agriculture and civil engineering orientation of this university, and it covers data analytics as well, and is far smaller, with about 47,794 students against roughly 207,853 here.
National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico pursues a similar profile in finance, chemistry and physics, and it is larger, enrolling about 372,755 students against roughly 207,853 here, and is also a public institution.
Seen from abroad, University of Belgrade (Serbia) is a close relative on subject matter, since civil engineering, chemistry and physics are central to both, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers mechanical engineering and electrical and electronics as well.
The closest overseas parallel on agriculture, civil engineering and chemistry is King Saud University, located in Saudi Arabia; it covers data analytics and software engineering as well, and is far smaller, with about 61,412 students against roughly 207,853 here.
Looking internationally, University of Cape Town in South Africa is where finance, civil engineering and chemistry get a comparable treatment; it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Cairo University?
In Giza, Egypt, across the Nile from Cairo.
When was it founded?
On 21 December 1908, as the Egyptian University.
When did it become a state institution?
In 1925, under King Fuad I.
How many faculties does it have?
20, plus three institutions.
How many students does it have?
207,853 according to the infobox for 2024.
How many international students does it have?
6,963 in 2024.
Which Nobel laureates are among its graduates?
Naguib Mahfouz, Yasser Arafat and Mohamed ElBaradei.
What is Kasr Alainy?
The medical school, one of the first in Africa and the Middle East.
Who invented the MOSFET?
Mohamed Atalla, an alumnus.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the faculty and the status of the student. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Biology, Engineering, Innovation, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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