University of Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella

Key facts

Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 9 November 2026.

About the University of Oran 1

The University of Oran 1 Ahmed Ben Bella stands in Es Sénia, in the southern suburbs of Oran. Wikipedia describes it as the first university established after Algeria’s independence: it started in November 1961 as part of the University of Algiers, became a separate campus on 13 April 1965 and an independent university on 20 December 1967.^[1] The same article also calls it Es Senia University.^[1]

The university’s website shows 28,963 students (392 of them international), 1,341 teachers and 74 research laboratories; the page carries no date for these figures. The Wikipedia article gives 26,400 students, an older figure.^[2][1]

How is the University of Oran 1 ranked?

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027 the aggregator xuanxiao.org shows the university in the 2001+ band. The same page lists no QS 2027 position and no ARWU 2026 position.^[3]

We could not read QS’s own pages (topuniversities.com blocks automated access), so the missing QS position is not confirmed either way. Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.

What can you study at the University of Oran 1?

The university lists ten faculties and institutes:^[2]

• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences
• Faculty of Exact and Applied Sciences
• Faculty of Letters
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Islamic Sciences
• Institute of Applied Sciences and Technologies (ISTA)
• Institute of Criminology
• Institute of Translation
• Institute of Arts

Studies follow the LMD system with three cycles: a 3-year bachelor’s (licence), a 2-year master’s that ends with a dissertation defended in a public viva voce, and a 3-year PhD that ends with a thesis defended the same way.^[6] The university’s Study in Algeria page says it offers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes from engineering to humanities.^[7]

How much does the University of Oran 1 cost for international students?

Algeria publishes one national schedule of annual training fees, in US dollars, for international students who enrol through the ministry’s “Study in Algeria” platform (“open enrollment”).^[4] The fee document is titled “Training fees for the 2025–2026 academic year”, but the page that links it is headed “Tuition Fees for the 2026–2027 Academic Year”. We found no separate 2026/27 table, so confirm the current amounts on the portal before you budget.^[8]

Amounts are per year.^[4] The table sets these rates for “universities” in general and names some higher schools separately at $3,000 to $3,500. It does not list the University of Oran 1 on its own line, so ask the university which column applies to your programme.^[4]

Housing and living costs

For university residences the schedule lists catering at 1.20 DZD (the table gives no unit), accommodation at $15 a month, and transport at the same rate as for Algerian students. For a private three-room apartment of about 65 m² it quotes $112 to $450 a month, depending on the city, “for reference only”.^[4]

How to pay

Registration fees are paid to the Bank of Algeria through correspondent banks, with the university as beneficiary. Payment may be made after the visa is obtained; students who are exempt from visas or already hold one can pay at once. The receipt is uploaded as a PDF during the application.^[8]

Oran 1 has a Faculty of Medicine, so the medical-sciences column ($3,000 for the pre-clinical and clinical cycles, $4,500 for residency) is the relevant one for medical programmes.^[4] The university’s own Study in Algeria page describes tuition as affordable but gives no amounts.^[7]

How do you apply to the University of Oran 1?

Under Presidential Decree No. 25-83 of 20 February 2025, international students may enrol if the host institution admits them on the basis of the available places and they pay the required tuition.^[9] Applications run through the ministry’s Study in Algeria portal: you choose a programme and university, upload your documents, the ministry checks them administratively, and the universities you chose review them academically. Registration at the host university follows once the regulatory steps are done.^[10]

• Bachelor’s: high-school diploma and transcript with certified translations, proof of nationality, the first page of a valid passport, a motivation letter, at least one recommendation letter, a medical certificate stating you are free of bacterial or contagious disease, and a recent photo.^[9]
• Master’s: the high-school and bachelor’s diplomas and transcripts with certified translations, plus the common items above.^[9]
• PhD: diplomas and transcripts from every earlier level (including engineering, architecture, medical or veterinary degrees where relevant) with certified translations, the common items, and a copy of your master’s thesis or internship report.^[9]

The ministry authenticates your diplomas and checks your transcripts. Its Equivalence Department then issues two documents: a certificate that places your degree in the Algerian classification, and a document that converts your grades to the Algerian grading grid.^[9]

We give no dates here because the application window changes every year. Read the current window on the portal and in the programme’s own notice before you start.^[10]

The university’s Study in Algeria page says that you can apply to several universities and programmes through the platform, and its website links to a foreign-student registration platform at vrre.univ-oran1.dz.^[7][2]

Which language do you need?

Algerian universities teach in Arabic, French and English, and the language depends on the field and specialisation. Students who do not master the language of instruction follow an intensive course at the Intensive Language Teaching Centres (CEIL) attached to their institution.^[5]

The national pages name no language tests and no minimum scores. Ask the University of Oran 1 which language your programme uses and what level it expects before you apply.^[5]

The university’s Study in Algeria page does not state the language of instruction.^[7]

More about studying in Algeria

• Algeria: best universities
• Cost of Studying Abroad
• International Student Scholarships
• University Ranking Methodology

More university profiles in Algeria

• University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB)
• University of Algiers 1
• University of Constantine 1 Frères Mentouri
• Abou Bekr Belkaid University of Tlemcen