How to Apply to Universities in Albania: Requirements, Deadlines and Portals

Start with the state Matura

Albanian secondary school graduates sit the State Matura (Matura Shtetërore), introduced in 2006, before they can enroll at any university. The exam covers three obligatory subjects, Albanian Language and Literature, Math, and a foreign language, plus elective subjects tied to your intended field, according to background on the exam and Albania's exam authority, QSHA . If you finished secondary school outside Albania, you skip the Matura itself but still need your foreign diploma recognized as equivalent before you apply.

Application timeline at a glance

Apply through U-Albania

Public universities take applications through the national portal ualbania.al . You create an account, list up to 10 study programmes in order of preference, and the system matches you to a place based on your Matura score and the entry requirements of each programme, as reported by Albanian outlet Scan TV .

For the 2025-26 academic year, first-round applications opened July 30 and closed August 4, according to Albanian broadcaster RTSH , with two further rounds afterward for places that stay open once each round's results come out. Once you confirm a place, you cannot reapply in that same round, so review every option before you submit.

How the matching actually works

Each study programme sets a quota, a fixed number of places for the year, and applicants compete for those places using their Matura score combined with any subject-weighting the faculty applies. List your genuine first choice at the top, since the system tries to place you in your highest-ranked programme first and only moves to your next preference if you don't score high enough for it. Ranking a programme you don't actually want just to fill out all 10 slots can backfire if the system places you there instead of leaving room for a later round.

Applying to private universities

Private universities such as Epoka University, the European University of Tirana and Western Balkans University run their own admission process on their own websites, separate from U-Albania, and often accept applications for longer stretches of the year for English-taught programmes. Check the international admissions page of each university for its own document list and deadlines, since these vary by institution.

Documents you need

• Secondary school diploma or Matura certificate, or a foreign equivalent with recognition

• Transcript of grades from the last years of secondary school

• Passport or ID

• Language certificate: Albanian for Albanian-taught programmes, or IELTS, TOEFL or C1 Advanced for English-taught programmes

• Official translations of any document not already in Albanian or English

Requirements differ by university and programme, so confirm the exact list with the admissions office before you submit anything. Some universities also charge a small processing fee when you submit documents directly to them, separate from any national portal fee, so check this on the university's own admissions page.

Visas and residence for non-EU applicants

If your passport needs a visa to enter Albania, apply for a student visa at an Albanian embassy or consulate once you have your acceptance letter, since you need that letter as part of the visa application. EU citizens can enter Albania without a visa but should still register their address and student status with local authorities once they arrive for a full academic year. Check the exact requirements for your specific passport with the nearest Albanian embassy, since visa-free rules change from country to country.

Recognition of foreign qualifications

If your secondary education happened outside Albania, get your diploma recognized as equivalent to the Matura before you apply. This runs through Albania's ENIC-NARIC contact point, part of the wider European ENIC-NARIC network that every European country uses to compare qualifications. Start this step early, since recognition often takes longer than a single application round.

Fees differ by nationality, not by application route

Albania doesn't run a separate EU and non-EU fee track the way some Western European countries do. Public universities charge Albanian citizens a low, government-set fee and charge everyone else, regardless of which European country you come from, an international rate. Some public universities also extend free or reduced tuition to students from Kosovo and North Macedonia under bilateral agreements, so ask directly if this applies to you.

Master's and doctoral applications

Master's programmes need a completed Bachelor's degree, or a recognized foreign equivalent, plus whatever GPA or entrance test each faculty sets. Applications for second and third-cycle study run through the individual university rather than the national portal, with quotas published on each university's own admissions page, such as the University of Tirana's yearly admission criteria and quota announcements.

After you're matched to a programme

Once the portal assigns you to a programme, you confirm your seat by registering with the faculty, submitting your original documents, and paying the first tuition installment by the date the university sets. Miss that window and the university offers your seat to the next student on the waiting list, so treat the registration deadline as firm.