A Saudi Student's Guide to a Master's or PhD in Egypt: The Official Steps from Equivalency to Admission
A Saudi student can study for a Master's or PhD in Egypt and have the degree recognized in the Kingdom, as long as the official steps are followed in the right order: recognition first, then equivalency, then the application. We built this guide from official sources only: the Saudi Cultural Mission in Egypt, the Saudi Ministry of Education, Egypt's Supreme Council of Universities, the official international-student platform of Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education, and Egyptian universities themselves.
Egypt is a practical option. Many programs are taught in Arabic, most universities set no minimum grade for international postgraduate applicants, and the academic year starts in the third week of September. None of that helps, though, unless your program is recognized in the Kingdom, so that is where we start.
Step 1: Check recognition before anything else
Don't start any process in Egypt until you have confirmed that the university, the specialization and the degree level are all classified by the Saudi Ministry of Education. It's free, takes minutes, and prevents the biggest possible mistake.
- Open the Safeer classified universities portal and select the country, university, specialization and degree.
- Watch for "partially suspended": some of the university's specializations or degrees are suspended and others are not, so what matters is your specialization, not the university's name.
- Read the summary of university-degree equivalency conditions before choosing a study mode, since some conditions relate to how you study and how long you reside in the country of study.
After you are admitted, you will also need the Ministry's approval of your studies through Safeer. We cover that in Step 3.
Step 2: Attest your certificates and get them equated in Egypt
Egyptian universities require international students to hold an equivalency certificate for their latest qualification, issued by Egypt's Supreme Council of Universities. That's why equivalency comes before applying.
- Attest all your previous certificates and full academic transcripts.
- Apply online through the Supreme Council of Universities equivalency portal and pay the set fee.
Requirements, as listed by the Saudi Cultural Mission:
- All previous certificates and full transcripts, attested.
- A copy of the thesis if the degree being equated is a Master's.
- A letter from the Saudi Cultural Mission and a copy of your passport.
- The equivalency fee receipt.
All services of the Saudi Cultural Mission in Egypt are free, including certificate attestation, so no one should charge you a fee in its name.
Step 3: The official application
Postgraduate applications to Egyptian public, ahlia (national) and private universities go through the official international-student platform of Egypt's Ministry of Higher Education, and no university accepts an international student without an initial nomination from the platform. International universities are applied to directly after obtaining a letter from the Cultural Mission, and so is Al-Azhar University, with a Mission letter stating the level and specialization.
The platform steps, as published by Egyptian universities:
- Create an account with your full name exactly as in your passport, and activate it by email.
- Choose postgraduate studies, then the degree and specialization.
- Upload a valid passport, your qualification, your transcript and the Supreme Council equivalency certificate.
- Pay the application fee online or by bank deposit, and upload the receipt if you paid at the bank.
- Your data is reviewed, then your application goes to the university, which accepts or rejects it and states the reason.
Once the university approves, you submit your original file and the original equivalency certificate, and the platform issues a digital initial acceptance letter. Your enrollment is only confirmed after you pay the academic year's tuition, and it may be cancelled if you don't. The Cultural Mission says postgraduate applications usually run from July to the end of April each year; check the current dates on the platform before you plan.
After admission, return to Safeer 2 and request approval to study at your own expense, attaching your certificates, your admission and the Cultural Mission's confirmation of the admission. Once approved, submit a "study commencement" request within three months, while you are in Egypt. If you are an employee, attach approved study leave of at least 90 days.
What to expect from the studies
| Item | Master's | PhD |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 2 to 5 years; minimum 3 years for medicine and dentistry | Mostly 2 to 5 years |
| Format | Courses only (4 semesters) at some universities, or courses plus research at many | Thesis only in some theoretical fields such as law, media, Islamic studies, languages and social sciences; courses plus research in others |
| Grade required | Most universities set none; some fields require "Good" | Some fields require "Very Good" |
Changing your field: most universities require your studies to continue your previous specialization. Some accept Master's applicants from other fields in areas such as education, business administration, accounting, marketing, hospital management, health economics, public administration, political science and economics. Law faculties accept only law graduates for Master's and PhD.
How recent your degree is: public universities don't require a recent qualification, so graduating years ago doesn't block admission.
Attendance: attendance rules vary by program; there is no single rule for all Master's or all PhD programs. Match your choice to the Saudi equivalency conditions before you decide.
Fees: international students pay in US dollars. Fees include platform service fees, a first-time enrollment fee and annual tuition that varies by university and field, plus equivalency fees. These amounts change every year, so always rely on the latest figures from the platform and the university.
After arrival and after graduation
Student residency: get the original proof of enrollment for the current year from your university, then visit the Passports, Immigration and Nationality Administration with the required documents. Student residency lasts one year and is renewed every year of your studies.
Excellence reward: self-funded students with a Safeer file can receive an excellence reward if they complete at least 12 credit hours a semester with a semester GPA of at least 3.5 out of 4 or equivalent. This requires uploading your study plan at the start of each semester and your report at the end, on Safeer 2.
After graduation: have your degree attested through the Cultural Mission in Egypt, apply for its equivalency online through the university-degree equivalency system, and close your Safeer file with an "end of study" request.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Applying before checking classification: you could be admitted to a program that won't be equated in the Kingdom. Always start with the classified universities portal.
- Choosing a study mode before reading the equivalency conditions: the attendance pattern that suits your schedule may not meet the conditions.
- Trusting lookalike websites: Egyptian government sites end in gov.eg and Saudi ones in gov.sa. Any other site presenting itself as the official application platform is not.
- Believing anyone who claims to be "accredited by the Cultural Mission": the Mission states clearly that it has no accredited offices or agents.
- Believing promises of guaranteed admission: admission is decided only by the university and the official bodies, and no one else can guarantee it.
- Relying on old fee figures: fees change yearly, so take them from the official source when you apply.
How Masar can help
Every step above can be done by the student alone, and we wrote this guide to make it clear for anyone who chooses that. Masar is an independent educational services office; it is not a government body and does not represent any university.
If you'd rather have someone by your side, we help you check the program's classification before applying, prepare your file and follow it up through official channels, and stay with you after arrival until graduation day. We don't promise guaranteed admission, because that decision belongs only to the university and the official bodies.
The first consultation is free. If you choose one of our services, Masar's fee is separate from university fees, government fees and any third-party costs.
Contact: WhatsApp +20 10 4246 4651 or masarconsultancy.com.
Last reviewed: November 2026. Information may change, so check the official sources before taking any step.