C
Mathématiques
Engineering (ESP), SupNum, sciences, economics/management (ISCAE), medicine (opened to series C in 2021), foreign scholarships for top ranks.
How admission works
Most students enter higher education straight after the baccalauréat. Here is the path, step by step, with links to the official sources.
etudiants-mesrs.app, the ministry student platformStep by step
Pass the baccalauréat
The first session is held in July, with results in late July or early August. If you miss it, you can sit the complementary session in mid-August.
Rank your choices online
Register on the ministry student platform, etudiants-mesrs.app, and list the programmes you want in order of preference. The same platform handles grant applications.
Get your orientation
The national grants commission (CNB) places students by rank, choice order and capacity. Selective schools such as medicine, ESP and ISSM are filled first, right after the first-session results; open-access programmes follow after the complementary session.
Register at your institution
Since 2025, public institutions register new students online through the Khidmaty portal. Pay the fees by mobile wallet and download your student number and certificate. In 2025 the window ran from 8 October to 9 November.
Check grant results
Being placed does not guarantee a grant. Students at selective schools receive one at orientation; for open-access programmes, grants are decided around January.
Watch for competitions
Some schools add their own selection on file or by competition, for example ISCAE requires a science Bac. The ministry also relays international competitions, such as the CentraleSupélec entrance exam for maths-series students.
Which Bac leads where
D
Sciences naturelles
Medicine, pharmacy, biology/natural sciences, agronomy/veterinary, health schools, engineering (some), management; largest series by candidates.
TMGM
Technique (Techniques mathématiques / génie mécanique)
Engineering and technology institutes such as ESP, ESAV Rosso (formerly ISET) and the Institut Supérieur de Génie Industriel; very small series.
LM
Lettres modernes
Letters, languages (French, English), human and social sciences, law, economics, journalism.
LO
Lettres originelles
Arabic letters, Islamic studies and sharia (ISERI, Université des Sciences Islamiques d'Aioun), law (opened to LO in 2021), human sciences.
How degrees are structured
- 3 years
Licence
First cycle after the baccalauréat, including professional licences. It replaced the older DEUG and Maîtrise from 2008–2009.
- 2 years
Master
Second cycle after a Licence, research or professional. Admission is selective, on file.
- 3 years
Doctorat
Third cycle after a Master, run by doctoral schools (nine in 2026, according to the minister).
Teaching is in Arabic and French. Most science programmes are taught in French, Islamic studies and Arabic-track programmes in Arabic, and a growing number of courses in English.
The academic year starts in October. First-session Bac results come out in late July or early August, with a complementary session in mid-August.
Questions students ask
How does orientation after the bac work?
After the first-session results, the Commission Nationale des Bourses (CNB) orients bacheliers to limited-access institutions (medicine, ESP, ISSM, etc.) using an orientation average based on core subjects; after the complementary session a second round orients students to the remaining institutions. Your placement depends on your rank, the order of your choices and programme capacity. Choices are entered on the ministry's student platform (etudiants-mesrs.app).
When does the academic year start?
In October. In 2025, Université de Nouakchott opened online registration for new bacheliers on 8 October (closing 9 November).
How do I register at university?
Registration for public institutions such as Université de Nouakchott is done online through the national e-services portal Khidmaty: fill in your file, pay fees by mobile wallet, then download your student number, registration certificate and receipt.
Can I get a state scholarship to study abroad right after the bac?
No. Since August 2024 the state no longer gives foreign scholarships to new bacheliers. Under arrêté 009-2025, priority goes to top-ranked Licence graduates of public institutions, winners of international competitions held in Mauritania and students in bilateral exchanges, mainly at Master/Doctorat level. Bilateral offers (Morocco AMCI, Algeria, Türkiye, China, Korea…) are announced by the ministry.
Am I guaranteed a national grant if I am oriented?
No. Orientation and grants are separate: you can be oriented without a grant. Students at limited-access institutions get a grant through CNB1; others are ranked in January (CNB3) according to bac session, honours, bac centre and programme, with 8% of grants reserved for girls. Bac majors of each series receive an excellence grant worth double the normal grant.
What degrees exist?
Mauritania uses the LMD system: Licence (3 years), Master (2 years) and Doctorat (3 years), plus long-cycle engineering and medical degrees.
Are private universities recognised?
Only institutions approved by MESRS. About ten private institutions are approved (e.g. Université Moderne de Chinguitti, UMLC, LIU Mauritania, Sup'Management, EMSI, ISB). Quality assurance and programme accreditation are handled by AMAQ-ES.
I have a foreign bac or I'm an international student – what should I do?
Mauritanians with a foreign bac are ranked separately from national-bac holders (with a reserved quota for scientific/technical bacs with honours). Have your diploma recognised by MESRS (Direction des Qualifications Académiques et de la Reconnaissance des Diplômes). Foreign nationals usually come through bilateral scholarships or apply directly to the institution, and since January 2025 must obtain an e-visa online before travelling unless visa-exempt.