Egypt’s educational promise falters for stranded Syrian students

In summer 2024, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education’s plans to position Egypt as a regional hub for international students began to take shape. At that point, Mira Mohammed, a young Syrian living in Qatar who had earned a Qatari high school diploma with 98.6% decided to pursue medical studies in Egypt.

She chose Misr University for Science and Technology and applied through the Study in Egypt platform, launched last June by the Ministry to streamline enrollment for international students. Mira paid approximately $16,000 in registration and tuition, her mother Maha Fanari told Al Manassa.

But she only attended one semester before finding herself stuck abroad, along with hundreds of other Syrian students residing in the Gulf and enrolled in Egypt. They missed the second semester of this academic year due to the newly introduced government restrictions on Syrians’ entry into Egypt. A measure implemented after the fall of Al-Assad’s regime and the rise of armed groups in Damascus on Dec. 8, 2024.

“We paid for the second semester, but she didn’t attend a single day. We are still paying her rent, and all her belongings are there. The entire semester and tuition fees are gone,” said Fanari, hoping for a resolution.

Three decisions

According to statements made in 2023 by Higher Education Minister Ayman Ashour, the admission of Syrian nationals increased to Egyptian universities. The government tasked the Ministry with making international students' life easier through flight discounts and student visas.

However, the reality for Syrian students, particularly those with Gulf residency, has been different. Since mid-December, three government decisions have prevented their entry to Egypt.

Politically, Cairo reiterates full support for the Syrian people and their aspirations, yet below the surface security concerns over the rise of armed factions to power have translated into stricter entry conditions.

Restrictions began a week after Assad’s fall. In Dec. 16, Arab media quoted Egyptian sources reporting the cancellation of exemptions extended to EU and Gulf based  Syrians to enter Egypt without prior clearance.

According to the Refugee Platform in Egypt, security clearance is a background check on applicants conducted by security agencies after applicants fill a form. 

The second decision came on Dec. 29, when Egypt instructed all airlines to bar Syrians from boarding flights to Egypt unless they held non-touristic temporary residency permits.

Defending the measures, Civil Aviation Authority head Amr El-Sharkawy denied there was any “ban,” describing the move as similar to protocols applied to nationals from conflict zones.

Egypt revised its position on Jan. 20. Osama Khader, the acting Egyptian ambassador to Syria, told Syrian media that Cairo would grant exemptions to three groups, including “Syrian students enrolled in Egyptian educational institutions.” But according to students abroad who spoke to Al Manassa, the exemption has yet to materialize. They remain denied entry and have missed the second semester, exams began last month.

A temporary green light

Radwan Ahmed, a first-year medical student at October 6 University and a UAE resident, told Al Manassa he hired an agency in July 2024 to register him on the Study in Egypt platform, for $3,000.

Before traveling, Radwan visited the Egyptian consulate in Dubai to inquire about a student visa. “The official told me I needed security clearance. To avoid delays, she advised me to apply for the clearance, which takes a month, and in the meantime, travel to Egypt with a tourist visa using my Gulf residency.” Egypt had been allowing Syrians holding Gulf residencies to enter since April 2023, with the aim of encouraging tourism.

Radwan followed, he applied for clearance on Sep. 17 and traveled to Egypt a week before classes started on Sep. 20. He paid $4,200 in first-semester fees.

By December, he still hadn’t received the clearance and his tourist visa was expiring. He left Egypt on Dec. 12, having completed his semester exams, and planned to return using his Gulf residency. The next day, Egypt announced the restrictions.

Radwan returned to the Egyptian consulate in Dubai. “They told me to apply again for clearance which would take three weeks. Since then, nothing—no approval, no rejection, no response,” he said. “Clearances are just not being issued.”

Mira’s mother continues to visit the Egyptian embassy in Qatar every two weeks, hoping the approval might come “at any moment,” the family of Mohammed Al-Omari, a first-year medical student at Mansoura University, received a call mid-December from the same embassy informing them that he had been granted security clearance.

However, he could not convert his tourist visa into a student one; he needed to leave the country and reenter with the proper permit. But at the time, Mohammed was in the middle of his exams. He returned to Qatar Dec. 19, that is 11 days after the fall of Assad, expecting to return to Egypt in a few days.

On Dec. 21, his mother, Ward Al-Jouri, accompanied him to the embassy to collect the clearance, but an official refused to print it. “I told them: You called us!” she said. “The lady apologized, said it was instructions from high up. She directed us to EgyptAir office, and there they searched for any info but to no avail.”

It’s a requirement for students to book exclusively with EgyptAir, as the airline receives lists of students with security approval.

According to the most recent list released by Egypt’s Central Administration for International Students’ Affairs on its Facebook page, dated Feb. 11, no Syrians were included. The bulk of clearances were issued to Saudi and Emirati students, with Sudanese getting only a small portion.

Using connections

With clearance delays stretching on, some students have tried to find alternative routes. “So we don’t miss exams,” explained Hala Mohammed, a first-year medical student at Mansoura University and a Saudi resident.

Hala told Al Manassa she attempted to enter Egypt via Cairo Airport using a personal connection. “My father’s friend promised to get me in,” she said. The contact succeeded—at least in getting her on the plane. “I was really worried the airline wouldn't let me board.”

Egypt’s Civil Aviation Authority had instructed airlines not to board Syrians traveling to Egypt, making Hala’s boarding in Jeddah a violation of the rules.

She landed in Cairo just after midnight. “My cousin and I were stopped by an officer. They held us in a room with no phones from midnight until 2 p.m. the next day.”

She recalled knocking on the door repeatedly, asking to be released. “An officer asked me: ‘What did Ahmed al-Sharaa do?’ I said: ‘What do I have to do with Al-Sharaa? I have an exam tomorrow.’”

The “personal connection” failed, and Hala and her cousin were deported to SA on the afternoon of April 18, after spending 14 hours in detention.

A group of 70 Syrian students enrolled in Egyptian universities sent a list, seen by Al Manassa, of their names to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, requesting that it press the Egyptian authorities to admit enrolled students.

Recruiting international students remains a top priority, according to Minister Ashour, who spoke during the annual iftar for international students held March 24. He said the Study in Egypt initiative had made Egypt the leading destination for educational tourism in the Middle East.

To support this claim, Egypt highlights the global rankings of its universities and its plans to open new universities and expand partnerships with foreign institutions. By July 2024, the number of universities in Egypt had reached 108, including government, national (private non-profit), private, technological, and international institutions as well as framework agreements, up from 49 in 2014, according to Ashour.

Yet Egypt’s handling of the Syrian student crisis is pushing some to consider alternatives. “If my daughter goes back to Egypt, I’ll withdraw her enrollment,” said Mira’s mother, who is now exploring options in Jordan or Romania.

No refunds

Ahmed Abdel Ghani, head of the Central Admin. for International Students’ Affairs told Al Manassa that universities have mechanisms to accommodate Syrian students who missed the second semester.

“Students can enroll in the summer term or request deferment,” he said. The deferment period can extend up to two years.

When asked what stranded students should do, he said “If a student couldn’t attend and wants to resume, it’s best to return at the start of the next academic year.”

He added that universities are not refunding tuition. “The families made the choice to pay early. The student is registered only after completing a medical check. Families often pay before that step.”

Abdel Ghani denied that Syrian nationality had been removed from the list of options on the Study in Egypt platform for the 2025/2026 academic year. “Enrollment is an academic matter, not linked to visa issuance. Our role is to review academic documents.”

He compared the situation to Egyptians applying in Italy or the UK “Does acceptance guarantee a visa? No.”

Despite these statements, agencies helping international students with applications continue to reassure Syrians. One agency told an Al Manassa reporter, posing as a Syrian student interested in studying in Egypt in 2025/2026, that visas would be available when the enrollment period begins.

On May 31, Al Manassa contacted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tamim Khalaf to ask about the reason for the delays. He promised to consult the relevant department and respond. As of publication, he had not replied.

For now, Syrian families continue to shuttle between embassies and consulates, torn between keeping their children enrolled in Egyptian universities or seeking new destinations.