Study in Angola

Higher education in Angola is provided by Universidades, Academias de Altos Estudos, Institutos Superiores Politécnicos or Técnicos and Escolas Superiores Politécnicas or Técnicas. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESCTI) oversees policy, admission frameworks, available places and supervision, while each higher-education institution manages its courses, admissions, matrícula and teaching. A first degree may be offered as Bacharelato, a statutory three-year level whose actual availability depends on the institution, or as Licenciatura, which commonly lasts four to six years. Academic postgraduate study usually consists of Mestrado lasting two to three years and Doutoramento lasting four to five years. Professional postgraduate study may instead lead to capacitação with a duration set by the programme. A Mestrado normally combines academic credits with a dissertation, project or internship report; a Doutoramento combines credits with a public thesis defence. Admission places are limited each year. Applicants generally need the completed second cycle of secondary education or an equivalent qualification, compatibility between their previous school branch and the selected course, and an entrance examination. Institutions set course-specific requirements and publish their own admission notices and calendars. Selection can use eliminatory prerequisites, a minimum examination mark, minimum age and the highest examination results. Common documents include a bilhete de identidade or passport, or a residence card where applicable, the secondary-school certificate, an application form, NIF and a photograph. Some courses reserve 3% of places for antigos combatentes, war-disabled people and their relatives, 3% for candidates with disabilities, and public institutions additionally reserve 5% for international commitments; support for disabled students depends on the type of disability. Curricula normally use Unidade de Crédito, where one credit represents 15 hours of student activity, with about 40 credits per semester. A Licenciatura generally includes a basic cycle, a specialisation and pre-professional preparation, with at least 15% practical work and a curriculum that is at least 70% nuclear. Attendance is the reference format, while distance or blended learning is available only when the programme has the required accreditation. Licenciado results are commonly classified as Suficiente for 10–13, Bom for 14–15, Muito bom for 16–17 and Excelente for 18–20. Private and public-private institutions charge propinas and emolumentos. Public institutions also apply student cost-sharing under the fee regime of Presidential Decree 124/20; the usual payment period for public propina is from the 1st to the 15th of the month, with up to ten monthly instalments. Current 2026/27 amounts are not centrally verified, so the institution’s admission notice and fee information control. As an institution-specific example, Universidade Agostinho Neto listed 3,900 places for 2026, online applications from 3 to 17 August, entrance examinations from 25 to 28 August, and a fee of 5,000 AOA for one option or 10,000 AOA for two options through RUPE. For the published 2026/27 calendar, preparation runs from 3 August to 2 October 2026, public entrance examinations from 24 to 28 August, private entrance examinations from 14 to 18 September, the official opening is on 2 October and classes begin on 5 October. The first semester ends on 26 February 2027, enrolment and the break run from 1 to 5 March, and the second semester begins on 8 March. Listed examination periods are 25–29 January and 28 June–2 July 2027, with student holidays from 2 August to 30 September 2027. One calendar entry appears to contain an incorrect 2026 date for a second-semester week and should be checked against the current institutional notice. INAGBE administers scholarships such as the BEI. The researched rules for Licenciatura applicants include Angolan nationality, completion of the second cycle of secondary education, an age limit of 25 or 35 for specified special statuses, and matrícula or attendance in the first or second year of a legal course at a recognised institution. Selection weights merit at 40%, a priority or deficit course at 25%, family income at 20% and age at 15%. The 2025/26 quota contained 9,500 Licenciatura and 1,000 postgraduate awards; the current 2026/27 notice was not verified. Scholarship recipients may receive a monthly allowance and social, library, laboratory and academic support, but can lose the award for failing, abandoning study, making an unauthorised course, institution or city change, fraud or false information. Before enrolment, check that the institution was created by the Executive, that MESCTI approved the course and that INAAREES has assessed or accredited the specific course. The 2025/26 evaluation round found accreditation for 160 of 235 STEM courses, 70 of 78 health courses and 188 of 358 humanities and social-science courses. Students have rights to equality, non-discrimination, academic freedom and institutional autonomy. They can request an examination review within 48 hours after results are announced. Diplomas are recorded in the national graduate database, while INAAREES handles domestic homologação and recognition or equivalence of foreign qualifications. Completing a qualification does not automatically grant admission to the next study level or a job; each programme and employer applies separate requirements.