Countries
Study in Mauritania: costs, visa, scholarships and universities
Costs, visa process, work rights, scholarships and university options for studying in Mauritania.
Overview
Mauritania is a Sahel and Maghreb-edge republic whose higher education system is small and mostly public. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) lists 17 public and 10 private establishments and reports 33,049 students in its establishment directory, while its statistics page shows 46 educational institutions and 45,384 registered students (updated 2 Feb 2026); the two figures use different scopes and were not reconciled. The largest institution, the University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya, was created in July 2016 by merging two older universities and reports about 30,000 students.
Foreign applicants enter on an online visa issued through the National Agency for the Population Register and Secure Titles (ANRPTS); sticker visas have been discontinued. Students then obtain a residence card on the basis of an enrolment statement and a passport valid for more than six months. The official pages reviewed do not state a student-specific entry category, visa fee, processing time, financial-proof rule or work right for international students, so those fields are null in this data set.
Public information for foreign applicants is thin. No institution website reviewed publishes international tuition, application deadlines, language-test scores or scholarship schemes for non-Mauritanians; the university's registration page was an unfilled placeholder on 26 Oct 2026. French and Arabic are the working languages of the institutional websites; one institute (Higher Institute of English) teaches mostly in English but is under the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Higher Education and is aimed at Mauritanians.
Security and logistics deserve attention: the UK, German and Canadian governments all warn against travel to eastern and border regions, Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel nationwide, and the US advisory (reported via search, page not readable) is Level 3. Germany also reports fuel-supply measures including night driving bans. Applicants should treat this country as a high-risk, low-information destination and verify every requirement with the institution and the Mauritanian mission before committing.
- Public university tuition
- Not yet verified
- Monthly living cost
- Not yet verified
- Visa processing time
- No official processing time found.Source
- Work rights
- No official source describes a work right for international students. ANRPTS describes residence cards for workers only with a labour-directorate-certified employment contract and work permit.
- Intakes and deadlines
- ISCAE posted 'Demarrage des cours' on 11 Oct 2026 and timetables from 19 Oct 2026, which indicates an October start for the 2026/27 year at that institute. No official intake calendar for international applicants was found for the other institutions.Source
- Language requirement
- No official language-test requirement for international applicants was found. The University of Nouakchott and ISCAE websites are in French (UNA also in Arabic); SupNum's site is in French and English. Instruction languages per programme are not stated on the pages reviewed, except that the Ministry describes the Higher Institute of English as teaching mostly in English with Arabic and French in the curriculum.Source
Tuition and living costs
- Public university tuition
- Not yet verified
- Private university tuition
- Not yet verified
- Monthly living cost
- Not yet verified
Accommodation
No official student-housing information for international students found.
When planning the total budget, separate one-off and monthly items. Budget planning guide
Visa and residence permit
Foreigners apply online for an entry visa through the ANRPTS website; the application is transmitted to the authorities and, once validated, is printed and presented for boarding and entry. The agency states that sticker visas are discontinued and replaced by online visas. Passports must be valid for at least six months. For longer stays, a residence card is issued; for study purposes the agency lists an enrolment statement (certified by the supervising ministry for private institutions) plus a travel document valid for more than six months. A student-specific entry visa category, fee and processing time are not described on the pages reviewed. Canada's travel page states that student visas are required and that the e-visa portal is the official application route.
- Visa processing time
- No official processing time found.Source
- Proof of funds
- No official financial-proof requirement for students found.;Source
- Health insurance
- No official requirement found.
Application steps
- Obtain admission or an enrolment statement from the institution (private institutions: statement certified by the supervising ministry).
- Apply for the entry visa online on the ANRPTS site; print the approved visa.
- Travel with a passport valid for more than six months; entry points include Nouakchott International Airport and Nouadhibou Airport (reception centres listed by ANRPTS).
- After arrival, apply at a Residents' Reception Center for a residence card under 'residence for study purposes'.
Documents required
- Passport valid for more than 6 months (ANRPTS)
- Enrolment statement from a public university or institute (public institutions) or a ministry-certified enrolment statement (private institutions) for the residence card (ANRPTS)
Travel advisories, sanctions and payments
As of 2026-10-26: UK FCDO (updated 19 Oct 2026) advises against all travel to eastern Mauritania, within 25 km of the Mali border, and against all but essential travel in Tiris Zemmour, Assaba, Hodh el Gharbi, Gorgol, Guidimaka and parts of Adrar and Tagant, plus within 25 km of the Western Sahara border (with exceptions). Germany's Auswaertiges Amt has a partial travel warning (page dated 26 Oct 2026, unchanged since 12 Aug 2026): border areas with Algeria and Mali; remote Sahara/Sahel areas; terrorism and kidnapping risk; fuel-saving measures including night driving bans. Canada (updated 9 Oct 2026) advises avoiding non-essential travel and all travel to Tiris Zemmour, the Hodh regions and areas east of the Zouerate-Ouadane-Tidjikja-Kiffa-Selibaby line. US State Department (page read 2026-10-26): Level 3 'Reconsider travel', date issued 18 Aug 2026, citing terrorism, crime and limited health infrastructure; Do Not Travel to military-restricted areas, areas north of the Tropic of Cancer and within 60 miles of the Mali and Algeria borders. Turkiye MFA: no Mauritania notice in the official advisory list read on 2026-10-26.
- Fees
- Entry-visa and residence-card fees are not stated on the ANRPTS pages reviewed. Germany's Auswaertiges Amt says the e-visa fee is paid in cash on arrival, without an amount.;Source
Nationality-specific notes: turkiye: Turkiye is not among the 11 countries listed by ANRPTS as having mutual visa-exemption agreements with Mauritania (Mali, Gambia, Niger, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Tunisia, Libya, Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, Chad, Burkina Faso), so the online visa route applies as far as the list shows. No Turkish-specific student rule found. Mauritania's higher-education minister signed a cooperation MoU with Turkey's YOK in July 2026 (MESRS news).; russia: Russia is not on the ANRPTS mutual-exemption list; no Russia-specific student rule found.; kazakhstan: Kazakhstan is not on the ANRPTS mutual-exemption list; no Kazakhstan-specific student rule found.; ukraine: Ukraine is not on the ANRPTS mutual-exemption list; no Ukraine-specific student rule found.; azerbaijan: Azerbaijan is not on the ANRPTS mutual-exemption list; no Azerbaijan-specific student rule found.
Work rights and after graduation
No official source describes a work right for international students. ANRPTS describes residence cards for workers only with a labour-directorate-certified employment contract and work permit.
After graduation: No official post-study stay provision found.
Language requirements and intakes
- Language requirement
- No official language-test requirement for international applicants was found. The University of Nouakchott and ISCAE websites are in French (UNA also in Arabic); SupNum's site is in French and English. Instruction languages per programme are not stated on the pages reviewed, except that the Ministry describes the Higher Institute of English as teaching mostly in English with Arabic and French in the curriculum.Source
- Intakes and deadlines
- ISCAE posted 'Demarrage des cours' on 11 Oct 2026 and timetables from 19 Oct 2026, which indicates an October start for the 2026/27 year at that institute. No official intake calendar for international applicants was found for the other institutions.Source
Scholarships
Verified scholarship information for this country has not been added yet; ask our advisor for current programmes.
Cities
Nouakchott
Rosso
Nouadhibou
Universities
University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya (UNA)
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Institute of Accounting and Business Administration (ISCAE)
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Institute of Digital Technology (SupNum)
Nouakchott · Public
University of Nouadhibou
Nouadhibou · Public
University of Islamic Sciences of Aioun
Aioun · Public
National School of Administration, Journalism and Magistracy (ENAJM)
Nouakchott
Higher Institute of Islamic Studies and Research (ISERI)
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Polytechnic School (ESP)
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Normal School (ENS)
Nouakchott · Public
National Higher School of Health Sciences (ENSSS)
Nouakchott · Public
Nouakchott School of Commerce
Nouakchott · Public
Grand Chinguetti Mahdara
Akjoujt · Public
Higher Institute of English (HIE)
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Institute of Technological Education of Rosso (ISET Rosso)
Rosso · Public
Higher Institute of Youth and Sports
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Institute of Marine Sciences
Nouadhibou · Public
Higher Institute of Industrial Engineering
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Institute of Digital Technology
Nouakchott · Public
Higher Professional Institute of Languages, Translation and Interpreting (ISPLTI)
Nouadhibou · Public
CDD Sup
Nouakchott · Private
Moroccan School of Engineering Sciences (EMSI Mauritania)
Nouakchott · Private
GEU l'Académie
Nouakchott · Private
Grande École de Management et d'Ingénierie
Nouakchott · Private
International School of Business
Nouakchott · Private
Paris School of Advanced Management and Entrepreneurship (SAME-Paris)
Nouakchott · Private
Cheikh Mohamed Lemine Chinguitti University
Nouakchott · Private
Lebanese International University - Mauritania (LIU)
Nouakchott · Private
Modern University of Chinguitti
Nouakchott · Private
Sup'Management University Mauritania
Nouakchott · Private
Official resources
Frequently asked questions
Information on this page is compiled from official sources and was verified on the date shown. Fees, dates and visa rules change often; check official sources before applying. Empty fields have not been verified yet; ask our advisor for the current information.
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