Cost of Living and Scholarship Options for Indonesian Students in Egypt
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 07, 2026 • Scholarships & Funding, Money & Budgeting, Study in Southeast Asia
Al-Azhar University in Cairo charges no tuition to international Muslim students, on scholarship or self-funded. Living costs run about Rp 3-5 million a month depending on your housing choice.
🎓 Kemenag opens the Al-Azhar scholarship selection every year through diktis.kemenag.go.id, open to Madrasah Aliyah and Pendidikan Diniyah Formal Ulya graduates under 30.
🏠 A shared flat cuts rent close to half compared to a private room, and cooking together lowers your food bill further.
💵 Food runs about Rp 900,000-1,200,000 a month for three meals a day, and the yearly residence permit (iqomah) costs about Rp 900,000.
📩 PPMI Mesir and the KBRI Cairo education office help new students with housing leads, community groups and residence permit reminders.
Al-Azhar tuition costs nothing, but Cairo living costs add up
Al-Azhar University in Cairo does not charge tuition to international Muslim students, whether they arrive on a government scholarship or pay their own way. This has made Egypt a long-standing destination for Indonesian students studying Islamic disciplines such as Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh and Arabic literature. Your main costs in Egypt are rent, food and the annual residence permit, not tuition.
Indonesian students form one of the larger foreign communities in Cairo, most enrolled at Al-Azhar across bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. The community runs its own support structures, from regional family groups to a national student association, so you rarely start from zero once you land.
Monthly living costs in Cairo
Costs depend heavily on where and how you live. A private room costs more than a shared flat, and cooking with roommates cuts your food bill further.
| Item | Typical monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Shared apartment room | Rp 1,000,000-2,000,000 |
| Food, 3 meals a day | Rp 900,000-1,200,000 |
| University dormitory (Madinatul Bu'uts Al-Azhar) | Lower than private rental, shared facilities |
| Residence permit (iqomah), per year | Around Rp 900,000 |
Total monthly spending for most Indonesian students in Cairo lands around Rp 3,000,000-5,000,000, depending on lifestyle. Students who share a flat and cook together report cutting rent close to half compared to living alone. These figures come from Indonesian student communities in Cairo rather than an official cost-of-living survey, so treat them as a planning range, not a fixed budget.
Housing options
🏠 Madinatul Bu'uts Al-Azhar dormitory, run by the university for international students, with shared facilities and lower cost than private rental.
🏠 Shared apartment (flat bersama) with other Indonesian students, the most common option past your first year.
🏠 Markaz or community house run by an Indonesian regional group (keluarga daerah), which often doubles as a study circle.
The Kemenag Al-Azhar scholarship
Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) runs an annual selection for Al-Azhar placements through its Directorate General of Islamic Education. For the 2025 intake, registration ran through 9 May 2025 via diktis.kemenag.go.id , open to graduates of Madrasah Aliyah, Pendidikan Diniyah Formal Ulya and equivalent religious schools under 30 years old as of 1 May of the intake year, per Kompas .
Selection runs in stages. You sit a computer-based test and an interview in Indonesia first. If you pass, Kemenag forwards your name to Markaz Tathwir Ta'lim At-Thullab Al-Wafidin wa Al-Ajanib, the Al-Azhar body handling foreign students, for a placement test called Ikhtibar Tahdid Mustawa once you arrive in Cairo. You then complete registration directly with Al-Azhar yourself. Check the current year's Kemenag announcement for exact dates and quotas, since both shift every intake.
Applying without a Kemenag scholarship (mandiri)
Because Al-Azhar charges no tuition to foreign students regardless of scholarship status, many Indonesian students apply directly to Al-Azhar on their own (jalur mandiri) without going through Kemenag selection. You still sit a placement test on arrival and handle the same visa and iqomah paperwork, but you skip the Kemenag screening stage. Budget for your own flight, first months of rent and the iqomah fee, since a mandiri place comes with no living stipend.
Arabic readiness affects your placement
Al-Azhar teaches in Arabic, and your result in the Ikhtibar Tahdid Mustawa placement test decides whether you start directly in your chosen faculty or first take a preparatory Arabic language year. Students who studied at a pesantren with strong Arabic instruction in Indonesia typically place faster than those without that background. Build up your Arabic reading and listening before you travel if your current level sits below what your faculty of choice expects.
Documents to prepare before you apply
Whether you go through Kemenag or apply mandiri, gather your Ijazah and school transcript, a health certificate, a passport valid well beyond your expected program length, and passport photos. Kemenag applicants also need the recommendation and any madrasah or diniyah certification the selection asks for that intake. Start your passport renewal and health checks early, since both take time to arrange and Al-Azhar's own registration deadlines do not move for a late document.
Support once you arrive
Persatuan Pelajar dan Mahasiswa Indonesia (PPMI) Mesir is the official student association for Indonesians in Egypt, organized partly through 16 regional family groups (keluarga daerah) that new students typically join for housing leads, study groups and community events. Find PPMI Mesir at ppmimesir.or.id .
The education attaché at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo (KBRI Kairo) coordinates with PPMI on residence permit reminders and other administrative matters affecting students. Check kemlu.go.id/cairo for embassy contact details before you travel.
Set up a way to receive money from home before you fly, whether a local bank account once you arrive, an international transfer service, or a family member wiring funds each semester. Your heaviest costs, flight, first month's rent, and the iqomah fee, land before any scholarship stipend or your own budgeting settles into a routine, so keep extra cash on hand for that first stretch.