Addis Ababa University, established in 1950, is Ethiopia's public university in the capital and admits foreign nationals to undergraduate and graduate programmes. Its fee schedule for non-Ethiopian students charges tuition per ECTS credit in US dollars, with lower rates for students from IGAD member and East African countries. Other international students pay USD 150 per ECTS at undergraduate level for Medicine and health sciences, USD 90 for engineering, computer science and architecture, and USD 60 for law, business, social sciences and humanities, with higher rates for master's and PhD study. International applicants pay USD 40 to apply for an undergraduate programme and USD 150 for a graduate programme. Foreign applicants need an equivalence evaluation of their credentials from Ethiopia's Education and Training Authority and a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or their embassy, and they take the university's own admission test or present standardised test results. For 2026/27, a final round of the Graduate Admission Test was reopened for 14 and 15 September 2026, with foreign applicants paying the equivalent of USD 50 for the test. Tuition for master's study runs from USD 90 to USD 225 per ECTS for other international students, and PhD study from USD 120 to USD 300, while refugees pay the Ethiopian rate in birr.
The Immigration and Citizenship Service describes a student visa that allows foreign students to reside in Ethiopia for the duration of their studies. Applicants submit a passport valid for at least six months, the application form, two photographs, an acceptance letter from an accredited educational institution, proof of payment of tuition fees or scholarship details, and proof of sufficient financial means; no minimum amount is published. Ethiopia's e-visa portal lists a single-entry student visa. The Service states that most of its applications take about five to ten business days. The official pages read for this guide do not publish rules on working while studying or options to stay after graduation.