Originally titled the Egyptian University, the University of Cairo was first started in 1908 to provide modern higher education to Egyptians so they would not have to go to Europe.   It was the first public university in Egypt and started to bring people outside of Egypt to receive an education at their university.  Today, like all education in Egypt, the University of Cairo is free.   This, however, makes the size of all universities much larger, especially the University of Cairo which has over 160,000 students annually.  Government funding is crucial to maintaining free education in Egypt. Universities have to meet strict regulations to keep their funding which includes the number of students enrolled; this contributes to the University of Cairo’s massive size. The universities in Egypt are set up a little differently than the ones in the United States, but they do have their similarities as well. The duration for most undergraduate programs is four years except for various Medical Degrees.  Disciplines such as Veterinary, Dentistry, and Pharmacy may require additional education and up to four additional years. However, in Egypt the students are enrolled in what they call “faculties”, instead of the U.S. term of “colleges” (for example, the Faculty of Art or the Faculty of Science vs. the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences).  The whole university is then made up of these faculties which can have specialized sub-fields within its faculty, similar to the U.S. having history or anthropology as a discipline of the College of LAS.  Although the University of Cairo is large, the colleges do not always have the general variety that universities in the United States can have and the faculty administration determines the subjects of the study, and distributes the curriculum and the specific time for each subject. Also, at the University of Cairo, a council determines the topics of each study.

The University of Cairo has a very large and beautiful campus to accommodate all the students and employees.

Many of the classes are very large and can have over 1,000 students attending one class! The professors have assistants that help during lectures and testing if people need help and to curb cheating. The students are very dedicated to their studies and often receive their Masters or Ph.D.s. The campus houses a beautiful museum containing various artifacts from its inauguration.  We found Egyptians to be very friendly, open, and curious and the students and the administration welcomed us with open arms. The cultural exchange of knowledge was invaluable to procuring better relationships and understanding between the  Middle East and the West.  It is vital that this exchange continues for the safety and education of future generations.

By: Tiffany Crow, Leah  & Jacobson, Katie Riffe