Private education investment at home has slowed, but foreign interest appears to be picking up: Private investment in Egypt’s higher education sector has slowed over the past two years on the back of high land costs and weak returns, sources told EnterpriseAM. Local regulations requiring private universities to collect tuition in EGP have further weighed on profitability, but foreign universities appear largely immune to these challenges and seem to find the Egyptian market attractive for establishing regional branches.

(Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background as well as external sources.)

By the 2026-2027 academic year, Egypt could host 19 international university branches, up from the nine already operating today, a government source told us. Already, existing institutions have succeeded in reducing the need for Egyptians to travel abroad for quality education, we were told.

Just last week, the Madbouly cabinet approved two new foreign universities opening their doors here by establishing the Capital Universities Foundation in the New Administrative Capital to host branches of Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh Napier University.

The approvals for Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret followed a year of high-level talks with several ranked global institutions, the UK’s Essex University, Aberdeen University, and Exeter University, in addition to Portugal’s Aveiro University, and several French universities. The UK’s Anglia Ruskin University also inked a cooperation agreement with Universities of Canada in Egypt to establish an overseas branch last month. Sources credited Egypt’s recent curriculum upgrades — aligning local standards with global benchmarks — as a key driver of interest.

The government sees internationalization as not just an investment play but also a way to boost education quality and foreign student numbers. Since the internationalization strategy launched in 2020, Egypt has attracted 125k foreign students — a number that continues to grow thanks to expanding partnerships with global universities, according to the source. These branches have drawn students from neighboring countries, offering access to international-level programs without leaving the region.

The government is focused on bringing in top-ranked global universities to exchange expertise and deliver modern curricula, Higher Education Ministry Spokesman Adel Abdel Ghaffar said. He added that supporting the expansion of prestigious foreign universities in Egypt is key to increasing graduate competitiveness and advancing the country’s higher education sector. Local universities are also striking dual-degree partnerships with international institutions to fuel competition and enhance academic standards, he added.

The Administrative Capital for Urban Development has been instrumental in attracting new branches by allowing investors to pay land installments over time, reducing upfront cost burdens, Universities of Canada CEO Magdy Elkady told EnterpriseAM. The company has also eased late-payment fines for some institutions, boosting appetite among international universities.

Branch campuses in Egypt deliver the same quality as their home institutions, though some families still prefer sending their children abroad for exposure to Western culture, Elkady said. Egypt’s private higher-ed market has become intensely competitive as the number of universities grows — a dynamic that’s pushing institutions to improve quality, Elkady told us.

Despite strong momentum, legislative hurdles remain, including requirements for foreign universities to partner with local hosts and the government’s right to shutter campuses over compliance issues. A source at one international university previously told EnterpriseAM that amendments would allow more flexibility and unlock faster growth.

Tags: