Universities in Djibouti: Admission, Costs and How to Apply

The university system in Djibouti

Djibouti runs a small, centralized higher education system built around one public university. The University of Djibouti (Université de Djibouti, UD) opened on January 7, 2006, growing out of the earlier University Centre of Djibouti. Its main campus sits in Balbala, at the RN2-RN5 junction on the edge of Djibouti City, and it remains the country's main option for students who want to study at home instead of leaving for France, Morocco, Ethiopia, or the Gulf states.

Enrollment grew fast in the university's first decade, from about 2,500 students in 2008 to more than 7,000 by 2015. The Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MENSUR) oversees UD along with a small group of specialized public institutions, including the Djibouti Center for Studies and Research (CERD) and the Institute of Health Sciences.

Faculties and what you can study

UD organizes teaching into 5 faculties and 2 technology institutes:

• Faculty of Law, Economics and Management (FDEG)
• Faculty of Science (FS)
• Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences (FLLSH)
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Engineering
• University Institute of Industrial Technology
• University Institute of Tertiary Technology

The Institute of Health Sciences, a separate public institution under MENSUR, trains nurses and allied health workers outside the Faculty of Medicine track. If your subject falls outside these areas, such as advanced postgraduate research or specialized medical fields, look at the government study-abroad route covered in our guide to scholarships and student funding in Djibouti.

Degree structure

UD follows the LMD system used across Francophone Africa: Licence (bachelor's degree, 3 years), Master (2 years), and Doctorat (PhD, typically 3 more years). Your baccalauréat stream, science, literary, or economics, determines which Licence programs you enter directly.

Entry requirements and how to apply

The baccalauréat is the standard entry qualification, matching Djibouti's French-based school system. Medicine and Engineering run as competitive, selective tracks with limited seats, so your bac score and stream matter more there than in the humanities or social science faculties.

Registration runs online through the eCampus portal at ecampus.univ.edu.dj:

1. Go to ecampus.univ.edu.dj once your baccalauréat results are out.
2. Log in with your baccalauréat number (it ends in the letter T) as your username.
3. Enter your lycée matricule number as your password.
4. Select your faculty and program choices for first-year entry.

For the 2025 cycle, registration opened May 25, 2025 and closed July 3, 2025. Dates shift every year and some faculties close their program choices before the general deadline, so check the portal as soon as your results come out rather than waiting.

Costs of studying at University of Djibouti

UD does not publish a public tuition and fee schedule online. As a state university its costs sit well below private options or study abroad, but confirm the current registration and administrative fees directly with admissions ([email protected], +253 21 31 55 55) before you budget, since exact figures are not verified here.

Living costs, not tuition, will likely be your bigger expense. Djibouti City runs expensive for the region: budget guides for the capital put a single person's monthly cost of living, housing included, around $580-590, and daily expenses alone (food, transport, basic needs) without rent near $330-340 a month. The Djiboutian franc stays pegged to the US dollar, which keeps dollar-based budgeting stable from year to year.

Studying outside Djibouti

Because UD's faculty list stays narrow, students who want specializations Djibouti does not teach often look at government-sponsored placements abroad, coordinated through MENSUR and, for French universities, through Campus France Djibouti. See our companion guide to scholarships and student funding in Djibouti for how that process works.

Contact and campus address

University of Djibouti's main campus address is Campus de Balbala, Croisement RN2-RN5, B.P. 1904, Djibouti. Reach the admissions office by phone, email, or through the university's official WhatsApp channel listed on its website before you finalize any application decision.