The University of Mahajanga (Université de Mahajanga) is a public university in Mahajanga, in the Boeny region. It says it has 14 establishments, three doctoral schools, about 50 programmes and 500 teacher-researchers, and gives 40,000 enrolled students; other sources give 13,000 and 9,593.[1][2][3]
For 2026/27 the official pre-registration form sets a non-refundable fee of Ar 70,000 for Malagasy and Ar 110,000 for foreign candidates, paid in cash at the bank of the chosen establishment.[4] The form lists no tuition amounts, and we could not confirm a place in the QS World University Rankings 2027.[5]
Key facts
| Official name | Université de Mahajanga |
| Location | Administration in the Kakal building, Rue Maréchal Joffre, Mahajanga 401 (postal address BP 652)[6]; the campus is at Ambondrona[2] |
| Type | Public university, governed by Decree 2002-565 of 4 July 2002[6] |
| Founded | Regional university centre created in 1977; autonomous university since 7 October 1988[6] |
| Students | 40,000 (university website, no year) · about 13,000 (L’Express, 2025) · 9,593 (Wikipedia)[1] |
| Teacher-researchers | 500[1] |
| Establishments | 14 according to the website’s figures, but its list names 3 faculties (including the École Normale Supérieure), 5 institutes, 6 schools and 1 “proximity university” unit (15 items), plus 3 doctoral schools; about 50 programmes. The history page counts 2 faculties, 5 institutes, 4 schools and 1 unit[1] |
| President | Prof. Blanchard Randrianambinina, 11th president, 2022 to 2028[1] |
| Pre-registration fee 2026/27 | Ar 70,000 (Malagasy candidates) · Ar 110,000 (foreign candidates), non-refundable[4] |
| Tuition | No amounts published; the form marks a section of “paid programmes” (formations payantes)[4] |
| Language | French (Wikipedia); the 2026/27 form is in French[3] |
| Housing | First-year (L1) students receive no university housing[4] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | Not confirmed (no Malagasy entry found)[5] |
| Contact | +261 34 93 452 51 (website); central registrar’s office (SSC): 034 44 889 86 (form)[6] |
| Official website | mahajanga-univ.mg |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 10 November 2026.
About the University of Mahajanga
The university’s history page traces higher education in Madagascar to a school of medicine at Befalatana in 1896. In 1960 the schools were joined into the University of Madagascar, and in 1977 a regional university centre (CUR) was created in each of the six provincial capitals. Since 7 October 1988 each CUR has been an autonomous university; the University of Mahajanga “was born from this decentralisation”.[6] It is governed by Decree 2002-565 of 4 July 2002.[6]
Wikipedia gives a different founding year, 1983, linking it to the School of Dental Surgery of 1977 and the addition of medicine and natural sciences in 1982.[3] We follow the university’s own page. The current president, Prof. Blanchard Randrianambinina, is described as the 11th president, for 2022 to 2028;[1] the Ministry of Higher Education lists the same name.[7]
A 2025 L’Express report on a new lecture hall (“Solidarité”, 500 to 700 seats) says that in its development phase the university grouped three faculties, the Institut d’Odonto-Stomatologie Tropicale de Madagascar, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, and now counts 18 training institutions, doctoral schools included. It also gives about 13,000 enrolled students and names the campus at Ambondrona.[2]
How is the University of Mahajanga ranked?
We could not confirm a place in the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026. We read all 31 pages of the aggregator xuanxiao.org’s copy of the table (ranks 1 to 1,504) and found no institution in Madagascar.[5] QS’s own pages block automated access, so this is not proof from QS itself.
The web ranking uniRank (page undated, copyright 2005 to 2026) puts the university 5th in Madagascar and 11,447th in the world.[8] That ranking is built from web-presence signals, so treat it as a rough indicator only. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at the University of Mahajanga?
The 2026/27 pre-registration form lists the programmes open to new students.[4] Each programme names the baccalauréat series it accepts, for example series C, D or S for medicine and pharmacy.
| Establishment | Examples from the form |
|---|---|
| Faculty of Medicine | General medicine, midwifery, general nursing, dental surgery, nurse anaesthesia, dietetics, laboratory and radiology technician |
| Faculty of Sciences, Technologies and Environment (FSTE) | Life and environmental sciences, earth sciences, biochemistry, physics, chemistry; a paid programme in environmental and digital sciences with ESTIA (France) |
| IUTAM (Mahajanga, Antsohihy, Maevatanana) | Agriculture, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, environment |
| IUGM (Mahajanga, Antsohihy, Maevatanana) | Finance and accounting, economics, management, international trade, human resources, marketing and communication |
| ISSTM | Electrical, industrial, civil, hydraulic and computer engineering; biomedical engineering from the second year |
| School of Pharmacy; School of Veterinary Medicine | Pharmacy; veterinary medicine |
| School of Law and Political Science (EDSP) | Private law, political science (Mahajanga and Antsohihy) |
| ILC-SS | Sociology, psychology, communication, philosophy, French studies, anthropology |
| School of International Commercial Languages (ELCI) | Applied languages; Chinese for business; Mandarin for teaching |
| School of Tourism | Tourist guide, hospitality, tourism enterprise management, digital management and tourism communication |
| École Normale Supérieure (ENS-UMG) | Teaching in natural sciences, physics-chemistry, mathematics, philosophy, French and English studies (selection on file) |
| School of Dental Prosthetics Arts and Techniques (EATP) | Dental prosthetics; multimedia, digital arts and audiovisual |
The university also runs three doctoral schools: natural ecosystems, living-systems engineering and modelling, and nutrition–environment–health.[1]
How much does the University of Mahajanga cost?
The only amounts we found are the pre-registration fees. The 2026/27 form, published on 14 September 2026, sets Ar 70,000 for Malagasy candidates and Ar 110,000 for foreign candidates. The fee is paid in cash into the bank account of the chosen establishment (the account number is printed on the form), and it is not refundable whatever the reason.[4][9] The same two amounts applied to the 2025/26 pre-registration.[10]
The form does not print yearly tuition. It divides the offer into “A. Facultés” (medicine and the Faculty of Sciences, Technologies and Environment) and “B. Formations payantes” (paid programmes), and one FSTE programme is marked “payante” and run with ESTIA in France.[4] Ask the central registrar’s office for the amounts that apply to your programme in Malagasy ariary. For living costs see our Madagascar guide.
How do you apply to the University of Mahajanga?
- Choose one establishment and one programme. The form allows a single choice of faculty, school or paid programme, with one mention or track.[4]
- Fill in and sign the pre-registration form for 2026/27.[9]
- Add the documents: a birth certificate less than six months old; a certified copy of the baccalauréat transcript; two stamped envelopes with your address; a nationality certificate (less than three months old) if you were born abroad and later acquired Malagasy nationality; and the receipt for the pre-registration fee. For the biomedical engineering track, add the first-year transcript from health studies (PACES), veterinary medicine or pharmacy.[4]
- Submit the file to the Service de la Scolarité Centrale (SSC) in the Kakal building, or send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt to the Chef de Service de la Scolarité Centrale, Université de Mahajanga, BP 652, Mahajanga 401. The form prints one date for delivery by hand and an earlier date for post; check them on the form.[4]
The École Normale Supérieure selects on file, and candidates with a baccalauréat before 2025 must add a letter certifying their teaching or professional activities, signed by the candidate and endorsed by the superior; civil servants add an authorisation request.[4] Incomplete files are not processed.[4]
Guarantor and housing
Each student needs a guarantor (répondant) in Mahajanga who takes civil and criminal responsibility for damage the student causes. The consul of the Comoros in Mahajanga is the automatic guarantor of Comorian students; other foreign students are sponsored by compatriots in a higher year. First-year students get no university housing because of limited capacity.[4] We give no deadlines here because they change every year.
Which language level do you need?
Wikipedia gives French as the language of the university,[3] and the form, the website and the history page are in French.[4][6] The form lists no language test or level. If you apply from abroad, ask the registrar whether proof of French is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the pre-registration fee for 2026/27?
Ar 70,000 for Malagasy candidates and Ar 110,000 for foreign candidates, non-refundable, paid at the bank of the chosen establishment.[4]
Is there a tuition fee list?
Not on the form we read. It marks a section of paid programmes but prints no yearly tuition amounts.[4]
When was the University of Mahajanga founded?
How many students does it have?
Do I need a guarantor in Mahajanga?
Yes. Each student must have a répondant in Mahajanga; Comorian students have the Comorian consul as guarantor, other foreign students are sponsored by compatriots in a higher year.[4]
Is the University of Mahajanga in the QS ranking?
We could not confirm that it is. No Malagasy institution appears in the aggregator’s copy of the QS 2027 table.[5]
More about studying in Madagascar
- Madagascar: best universities
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Madagascar
Sources
[1] Université de Mahajanga: home page (news items up to 14 Sep 2026; read on 10 Nov 2026)
[2] L’Express de Madagascar: Université de Mahajanga, un nouvel amphithéâtre inauguré (the page shows no date; the address contains 2025/02)
[3] Wikipedia: University of Mahajanga (history, language and older student figure; secondary source)
[4] Université de Mahajanga: Fiche de préinscription, année universitaire 2026/2027 (PDF) (document dated 14 Sep 2026)
[5] xuanxiao.org: QS World University Rankings 2027 (QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (edition released 18 Jun 2026; aggregator; no Madagascar entry on pages 1 to 31 (ranks 1 to 1,504))
[6] Université de Mahajanga: Historique (page without a date; read on 10 Nov 2026)
[7] Ministry of Higher Education (MESupRES): universities and institutes (page without a date; read on 10 Nov 2026)
[8] uniRank: University of Mahajanga (page without a date; 2026 rankings; web-based ranking; secondary source)
[9] Université de Mahajanga: Pré-inscription 2026-2027, la fiche officielle est disponible (published 14 Sep 2026)
[10] L’Express de Madagascar: Université de Mahajanga, inscriptions ouvertes jusqu’au 31 octobre (2025/26) (the page shows no date; the address contains 2025/09)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.