Cameroon’s state universities and how admission works

How higher education is organised

Higher education in Cameroon is overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP). Next to the state universities, there are many private higher education institutions (IPES), which MINESUP lists by region on its website, and one international institution, the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).

This guide focuses on the state universities: what they are, how they are organised and how a new student gets in. Everything here was checked on official MINESUP and university websites on 22 October 2026. Procedures and dates change every year, so always confirm them on the official page before you pay or travel.

The 11 state universities

MINESUP lists 11 state universities, each with its own website:

• University of Bamenda – uniba.cm
• Université de Bertoua – univ-bertoua.cm
• University of Buea – ubuea.cm
• Université de Douala – univ-douala.cm
• Université de Dschang – univ-dschang.org
• Université d’Ebolowa – univ-ebolowa.cm
• Université de Garoua – univ-garoua.cm
• Université de Maroua – univ-maroua.cm
• Université de Ngaoundéré – univ-ndere.cm
• Université de Yaoundé I – link on the MINESUP list
• Université de Yaoundé II – univ-yaounde2.org

The Universities of Buea and Bamenda follow the Anglo-Saxon tradition and are the usual first choice for students coming from GCE A Level, although students from both subsystems can apply to any state university if they meet the programme’s conditions.

Faculties and professional schools: not the same entry

Inside each state university there are two kinds of units, and they are entered in different ways.

Faculties (arts, science, law, economics, education and so on) teach general degrees. For most faculty programmes, you apply with your BAC or GCE A Level and the university selects on your file. Some faculty programmes, especially in health sciences, are more selective and may use an entrance exam.

Professional schools and institutes (often called grandes écoles) prepare you for a specific profession: engineering, teaching, translation, business, technology. They usually recruit through a concours with a limited number of places. For example, the University of Buea lists eight faculties and four schools, including the College of Technology, the Advanced School of Translators and Interpreters (ASTI), the Higher Teachers Training College (HTTC) and the Higher Technical Teachers Training College (HTTTC). The Université de Douala lists five faculties alongside schools and institutes such as the École Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique de Douala, ENSET, ESSEC and the IUT.

Entrance exams are announced each year by MINESUP. Our guide to concours in Cameroon explains how they work, and the concours application checklist helps you prepare your file.

Applying online: use only the official platform

Most state universities now take applications or pre-registrations online. When we checked, for example:

• The University of Buea announced that 2026/2027 applications were open on its UB Go Student portal, ubstudent.online, linked from ubuea.cm.
• The Université de Dschang uses its SIGES online platform, linked from univ-dschang.org.
• The Université de Douala links to an online pre-registration platform from univ-douala.cm.

For the other universities, start from the official website on the MINESUP list and follow its links. A typical online application asks you to create an account, choose your programmes in order of preference, fill in your personal and exam details, upload documents and pay a pre-registration fee through the channel stated by the university. The amount, the payment method and the deadline are set in each university’s official communiqué, so read it in full.

Documents to prepare early

Requirements differ by university and programme, but students are commonly asked for:

• A birth certificate (and certified copies).
• Your BAC or GCE results slip, then the certificate when it is available.
• Your Probatoire or GCE O Level results, if requested.
• Passport photos and an ID document.
• The receipt of the pre-registration fee.

Scan everything as clear PDFs and keep them in one folder on your phone and in your email. Our concours file checklist gives tips on certified copies that also apply here.

How the academic year runs

In broad terms, the year looks like this: exam results in the summer, applications and pre-registration around the end of the school holidays, admission lists, then final registration and the start of classes. For 2026/2027, MINESUP’s University Coordination Commission, meeting on 15 October 2026, reported that the academic year had effectively started in the state universities. The Université de Dschang, for instance, listed registration for levels I to IV from 7 September on its homepage.

Degrees follow the Licence–Master–Doctorate (LMD) structure, organised in semesters. Each university publishes its own calendar, so check the dates of your university rather than relying on a friend’s.

Choosing a university: practical questions

• Language: are lectures in your programme mainly in English, in French, or both? Ask before you register.
• Distance and housing: can you live with family, or will you need a room near the campus? Budget for it.
• Programme: compare the course list and practical work of the same degree in two universities.
• Your plan B: if you are sitting a concours, register in a faculty programme too, in case you are not admitted.

If you are still deciding what to study, start with our guide to choosing a field after the BAC or A Level. And if you are still preparing your exams, a GCE tutor from Houselewa can help you secure the grades your programme asks for.

Once you are admitted

Being on the admission list is not the end of the process. Most universities then ask you to complete a final registration within a set period: pay the university fees through the official channel, submit your original documents for checking, collect your student card and confirm your programme and level.

Do it as early as possible. Late registrations can mean missing the first lectures, the first continuous-assessment tests or your place in tutorial groups. Keep a paper and digital copy of every receipt and of the list where your name appears, because you may be asked for them later, for example when applying for a scholarship or a transfer. Then read our guide to succeeding in your first year before classes begin.

Beware of admission scams

Every year, people sell “guaranteed places” or “lists” in exchange for money. Admission to a state university goes through its official platform and published lists. Pay fees only through the channel named in the official communiqué, keep every receipt, and never send money to a private number that promises a place.