Program guide

Study Medicine in Egypt

Egypt's medical degree, awarded as MBBCh, is the single most searched-for programme among African students looking at Egypt — and the one with the most misinformation around it.

Taught in EnglishTaught in Arabic31 universities listed

What is medicine?

Medicine in Egypt leads to the MBBCh (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery), the qualifying degree to practise as a doctor. It is an undergraduate-entry programme: you enter directly from secondary school rather than after a first degree.

Egyptian medical education reformed its structure in recent years, moving to a shorter taught programme followed by a longer supervised training period. Because universities implemented this at different times, the exact split between taught years and training years depends on the university and on your intake year. This is the first thing to confirm in writing.

Who it is for

Students with strong secondary school results in biology and chemistry.
Students who are prepared for a long programme — medicine plus internship is close to a decade before independent practice in most systems.
Students who have checked how an Egyptian MBBCh is treated by the medical council of the country they intend to practise in. This matters more than any other consideration and is the question most students ask last instead of first.

How long it takes

5–6 years

Taught programme, followed by a supervised internship or training period. Programme length is set by the university and the relevant national regulations, and it has changed in recent years. Confirm the exact structure for your intake with the university before you apply.

Last verified 11 September 2026 · Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt, Supreme Council of Universities, Arab Republic of Egypt

Typical degree structure

1Early years covering the basic medical sciences — anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology.
2Middle years moving into pathology, pharmacology, microbiology and the beginning of clinical exposure.
3Final years of clinical rotations through the major specialties in teaching hospitals.
4A supervised internship or training period after the taught programme, required before full registration.

Main subjects

Anatomy
Physiology
Biochemistry
Pathology
Pharmacology
Microbiology and immunology
Internal medicine
General surgery
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Paediatrics
Community and public health

Admission requirements

Not confirmed from an official source

Entry requirements for medicine differ by university, by nationality and by intake year, and are among the most competitive in Egypt. NIADO confirms the current requirement for your target universities rather than publishing one checklist that would be wrong for most readers.

Universities to consider

Institutions in our directory associated with this field. Confirm on each university's official website that it currently runs this programme, and in which language.

Private universities

Tuition range

We do not publish a tuition range for this programme, because we have not confirmed current figures from official university announcements. Ask us and we will request written quotations for your shortlist.

Career paths

Clinical practice after completing internship and registering with the relevant medical council
Specialty training — surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and others
Public health and health policy
Medical research and academia
Global health and humanitarian medicine

Skills to develop

Clinical reasoning — the ability to work from presentation to differential to diagnosis
Communication with patients and families, often across a language barrier
Arabic for clinical placements, even where teaching is in English, because patients speak Arabic
Resilience and time management across a long programme

Internships & training

Clinical rotations in university teaching hospitals during the taught programme.
A supervised internship period after graduation, which is a requirement rather than an optional extra.

Future opportunities

Specialty training in Egypt or on return to your home country
Licensing examinations for other health systems — each has its own eligibility rules that must be checked against your specific degree
Postgraduate study — master's and doctoral programmes in clinical and basic medical sciences

Medicine in Egypt — frequently asked questions

Is medicine in Egypt taught in English or Arabic?

It depends on the university and the specific programme. A number of universities teach medicine in English, and others teach in Arabic. Some run both. You must confirm the language of instruction for the exact programme you are applying to — not for the university in general. Note also that whatever the teaching language, clinical placements involve Arabic-speaking patients.

Will my Egyptian medical degree be recognised in my country?

Recognition is decided by the medical council or regulator of the country where you want to practise, not by the university and not by NIADO. Check your own country's medical council rules before you apply, not after you graduate. We will tell you honestly when we do not know the answer for a particular country.

How much does studying medicine in Egypt cost?

Fees vary substantially between public and private universities and change year to year. NIADO does not publish a figure we have not confirmed from an official university announcement for the current academic year. Ask us and we will get you a current written quotation for your shortlist.

University requirements, tuition fees, deadlines, scholarship availability and immigration or residence rules can change. Students must verify final requirements with the relevant university and the appropriate authorities. NIADO provides guidance and application support, and does not guarantee admission, scholarships, visas or residence permits.

Next step

Ready to explore medicine in Egypt?

Send us your results and your budget. We will come back with a realistic shortlist of universities running this programme.

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