France and Egypt share a long history of academic cooperation, dating back to the 19th century. Today, this cooperation draws on solid partnerships and the dynamism of French language academics in Egypt.
Nurtured by a rich network of French or bilingual baccalauréat secondary schools in Egypt, dual-degree French programs, the Université française d’Egypte (UFE) and French-language departments within Egyptian universities form a dynamic francophone academic network nationwide.
French-language programs established in Egyptian universities are historical cooperation mechanisms that are very well-recognized in Egypt’s higher education landscape. The double-degree system, as well as the intervention of lecturer-researchers from French partner establishments (around 150 teaching missions per year for 2,000 students), guarantee these programs an excellent reputation in various academic fields in Cairo and Alexandria:
Département de Gestion et de Commerce International (DGCI – Business and International Trade Section)
Institut franco-égyptien de Droit (IFED – Franco-Egyptian Law Institute)
Département francophone de Gestion d’Alexandrie (DFGA – Alexandria French-Language Business Section)
The Université française d’Egypte (UFE) is a higher education establishment under the joint supervision of the French and Egyptian Ministries of Higher Education.
The establishment which opened its doors to students in 2002 is undergoing a major refounding project, notably including the construction of a new campus.
The UFE delivers its French partners’ prestigious degrees in various academic fields, in French and in English:
Francophonie in Egypt and the bilateral cooperation can also rely on the dynamism of nearly sixty French-language sections within Egyptian universities.
From literature to law, from medicine to business, some of them were able to form ambitious cooperations with French establishments. This is notably the case for the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport’s (AASTMT) French section and the ESC Clermont and Rennes Business School, and also between Al-Azhar’s Centre pour l’enseignement du français (CEF – Center for French Learning) and the University of Lumière Lyon 2 .
Lastly, Senghor University, member of the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF), has been offering specialized Master’s degrees and short academic trainings since 1990. These programs aim to provide executive skills strengthening geared toward the development of the African continent.
At the instigation of the French Embassy in Egypt, numerous cooperation agreements between French and Egyptian establishments have been signed in recent years on the basis of 100% taught in English programs, which are currently being implemented.
This is notably the case for the Master’s degree in environmental engineering co-accredited by Centrale Marseille and Cairo University, as well as the exchange programs of business students between the ESC Clermont and Nile University.
This recent phenomenon reflects the development of the French academic offering in English aimed at international students, with over 1,600 programs 100% taught in English.
It also echoes the success of English-language programs offered by ESLSCA University since 2016, the Egyptian branch of the French business school of the same name.
