Study and Research Opportunities in Ethiopia

Long and short-term academic programs are available in Ethiopia across many universities and educational centers. International students and researchers may apply to BA, MA, Ph.D., and postdoctoral research programs in Ethiopia. Moreover, summer schools and conferences are other excellent academic activities that make Ethiopia an attractive destination for scholars and scientists. Many programs also come with fully-funded scholarships and fellowships as well as travel grants and financial aid, thus every student, researcher, and professor can always find a suitable program in Ethiopia and apply.

Scholarships & Fellowships in Ethiopia

Summer programs in Ethiopia

Grants & Awards in Ethiopia

Ethiopia as an academic destination

Ethiopia has an engaging biography as a country in the African continent. What is often mentioned about Ethiopia is that it's one of the oldest countries in Africa and the world, and it's the only African country that was never colonized. For you, as an international student or visitor, this allows exploring the culture of one of the oldest sites in the world.

If you're also worried about the language barrier, there are certain benefits for international students in this context. Particularly, English is the most popular foreign language in the country. It's also the language of many academic programs. So, you should not experience significant inconvenience while studying in the country. 

However, the country has around 60 spoken languages and Ge'ez or Ethiopic as an official written language. We thought that this variety of local languages would interest international students, especially those who come from different cultural backgrounds of other continents. For this reason, you can check the courses for Amharic, the most popular spoken language in the country. The course is provided in Ethiopia, by the leading university Addis Ababa University.

Universities in Ethiopia

Domestic and international studies choose more than 40 universities in the country that altogether offer students more than 600 programs in different disciplines. Within this variety of academic programs, there are five directions that are the most popular in the Ethiopian educational infrastructure. 

The top 5 academic directions include:

  • Management
  • Engineering
  • Economics
  • Health
  • Environmental Studies

It's worth noting that most of the higher educational universities in the country are privately accredited, while there was no private university in Ethiopia until 1990. 

Talking about the international rankings of the Ethiopian universities, most university rankings refer to only Addis Ababa University. It's the central university of the country, which is also the oldest one in Ethiopia. 

The university was founded in 1950 and had only 33 students initially. Currently, it has grown to a large study and research institution, with 14 campuses and more than 350 undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Student expenses in Ethiopia

To understand the estimated budget you need to fund your study & staying in Ethiopia, it's vital to determine the city you are considering applying to. 

As in any country, in Ethiopia as well, the capital is the most attractive destination for students. Ethiopia's capital is Addis Ababa, which hosts the oldest university in the country and the most quantity of the country's universities. For comparison, while other largest cities in the country have 1-3 universities, Addis Ababa is home to 17 higher educational institutions. 

However, in terms of tuition fees, the capital is not the most expensive one. An estimated average tuition fee in the countries like Mek'ele or Gondar varies around 1,700 $, while Addis Ababa is around 1,300 $. You can also focus your attention at Arba Minch University, where there are the lowest fees in the country. Still, Arba Minch is considered one of the largest cities in the country.

Student staying opportunities in the country are as affordable as the tuition fees (compared to the largest student destinations such as US and EU countries). There are usually financially supported staying options, such as a shared university dormitory or sharing the house with a local family. 

Research opportunities in Ethiopia

The main body responsible for the country's research coordination is Policy Studies Institute. It was created by combining the country's two institutions with the highest research potential: Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) and Policy Study and Research Center (PSRC). The organization operates since 2018 under the Ethiopian Government's management. 

The main directions of the PSI are the following:

Ethiopia is still actively working to increase its development rates both as a country and as a provider of higher education. It still has a long way to go. That's why currently only one of the country's universities is included in the international rankings. The country follows many adopted policies to improve the situation, including navigating around 70% of its students to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Nevertheless, the country has specific academic and research opportunities to offer, and we hope this section of ARMACAD will help you utilize the best out of them.