What tuition fees are looking like at high-end private + international schools this academic year: After months of delay in announcing their tuition fees as private and international schools waited on the Education Ministry to approve their fees, schools have recently begun announcing to parents their fees for the 2023-24 academic year. Many of these schools began their academic years before the ministry issued a decision on fee hikes — students at Cairo American College were back in class on Wednesday, 16 August, followed by BISC and NCBIS on 28 August, while El Alsson and AIS started their academic year on 3 September. Today, we run down the tuition fees being charged at the country’s biggest international and private schools.

REMEMBER- The Education Ministry issued a decree earlier this month introducing a new tiered system of caps on annual hikes of tuition fees at privately owned schools teaching both local and international curriculums. Under the new system, schools that charge tuition fees of EGP 35k and above will not be allowed to hike fees by more than 6% for this academic year, down from the previous 7% cap. The decision does not impact schools that fall outside of the ministry’s purview, among them institutions owned by associations and other bodies. These include the likes of CAC, MBIS, and BISC.

Editor’s note- Most of these schools detail their fees in foreign currency. For the purposes of this story, we are detailing the EGP-equivalent of these fees based on the current official exchange rate.

At the uppermost end of the spectrum is CAC, which charges EGP 638k per year for kindergarten students, while annual tuition fees for high school students (grades 9-12) stands at EGP 845k, according to figures administrative staff provided to Enterprise. The school is managed by a board that includes representatives from the US embassy and other stakeholders and its tuition fees are not regulated by the Egyptian Ministry of Education. It offers its students American education and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB Diploma) for grades 11 and 12.

Next is the British International School in Cairo (BISC), which charges tuition fees starting from EGP 232k per year for foundation stage 1 (KG1) kids, excluding registration, supplies, and admission fees. Foundation stage 2 through to year 6 tuition is EGP 469k per year, while years 7, 8, and 9 cost EGP 543k per year. Years 10 and 11 cost EGP 552k per year, and years 12 and 13 cost EGP 585k per year, according to the tuition fees for the 2023-2024 academic year (pdf). BISC teaches the British curriculum until year 9, after which students study IGCSE and GCSE courses. Students in their final two years of schooling (12 and 13) follow the IB program. BISC is an association-owned school and not subject to the Education Ministry’s tuition cap.

Next up comes the American International School in Egypt (AIS), which is — relatively speaking — on the higher end of the spectrum. AIS has only announced the fees for the first of its three semesters, according to a copy of the payment plan seen by Enterprise. The school typically charges more for its first semester than for the second and third, making it difficult to estimate exact fees for the full academic year, according to parents we spoke with. AIS’ tuition fees range from EGP 80k per semester for its youngest students to EGP 100k per semester for high school. The school has two branches in Cairo, one located in New Cairo and the other in Sheikh Zayed. The school provides its students with an American education until grade 11, when students can choose to continue on the American Diploma program or enter the IB program.

More or less within the same range is El Alsson, with tuition fees starting at EGP 161k for foundation stage 1 until EGP 252k for year 13 students following the British curriculum, and EGP 158k for preschool until EGP 247k for grade 12 for those in the American school’s American division.

CIRA Education British Columbia Canadian International School (BCCIS),whichfollows the British Columbia Canada curriculum (BC Curriculum) and offers its seniors Advanced Placement (AP) courses, charges annual tuition fees of EGP 123k for KG1 students and EGP 198k for high school students.

The German Saxony International School (SIS) charges annual tuition fees ranging from EGP 115k-145k for kindergarten and EGP 205k for high school students. The school is the Egyptian branch of the Saxony International School - Carl Hahn GmbH in Germany. SIS also offers its students the IB Diploma program.

Also worth mentioning:

Your top education stories for the week:

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  • Niqab school ban: The Education Ministry’s decision to ban the niqab in schools, arguing that wearing the niqab is not an Islamic duty, has sparked debate on social media and on the airwaves.
  • Education Minister Reda Hegazy met with USAID Egypt director Sean Jones yesterday to discuss the agency’s support for education projects in Egypt.
  • Nahdet Misr has signed an MoU with the Saudi-based Obeikan Investment Group for a strategic partnership to develop education in the MENA region. Under the agreement, the companies will work to set up programs using innovative education courses and advanced technologies.
  • Communication Ministry concludes his US visit: Communication Minister Amr Talaat has met with a number of high level executives from American and multinational tech firms to discuss avenues of cooperation, as the minister concludes his visit to the US.
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