University of Garoua
Announced by Paul Biya in his New Year's Eve address on 31 December 2021, the University of Garoua (UGa) was created a few days later, in January 2022, to give the North Region a university of its own. It started by taking over the annexes the University of Ngaoundéré had opened in Garoua, including the only medical school in the Greater North, and first ran in borrowed premises before moving to its Djoumassi campus.
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At a glance
- City and campus
- Garoua, North Region; Djoumassi campus
- Founded
- Decree No. 2022/003 of 5 January 2022 creating universities; organised by Decree No. 2022/010 of 6 January 2022
- Status
- Bilingual state university under MINESUP
- Rector
- Prof. Boubakari Oumarou, the first rector, installed on 21 July 2022 (in office in 2025 according to the official website)
- Students
- About 3,500 when classes began in October 2022 (DataCameroon); no more recent official figure
- Official website
- univ-garoua.cm
Creation and start-up
Decree No. 2022/003 of 5 January 2022 created the university; Decree No. 2022/010 of 6 January 2022 organised it and transferred to it the University of Ngaoundéré annexes already running in Garoua: the Faculty of Law and Political Science (annex opened in 2016) and the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, created by Decree No. 2018/004 of 8 January 2018. The rector, Prof. Boubakari Oumarou, and the board chairman, Souley Daouda, were installed on 21 July 2022 by Minister of State Jacques Fame Ndongo.
First-year classes began on 4 October 2022 with no premises of its own: according to DataCameroon, three faculties shared a private college, medical students were taught at the Cenajes and the rectorate rented a building, while the administration block at Djoumassi remained unfinished. The 2022 budget, adopted in September, was 2.6 billion CFA francs. By late 2024, the university website shows its governing bodies meeting in the assembly hall of the Djoumassi campus, and the 2025 budget was set at 4.24 billion CFA francs. Garoua also hosted the 2024 university games.
Faculties and professional schools
| Institution | Acronym | Specialisms | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences | FMSB | Medicine and health professions; hospital placements in the three Greater North regions | Entrance exam |
| Higher School of Economics and Business | ESSEC | Management and business, audit-accounting-finance, human resources, economic and social policy analysis | Entrance exam (bachelor's: baccalauréat, GCE A Level, BTS, DUT; master's: bachelor's degree) |
| Institute of Fine Arts and Innovation | IBAI | Arts and innovation (programme not detailed online) | Entrance exam (first intake recruited for 2024-2025) |
| Faculty of Law and Political Science | FSJP | Public law, private law (business, civil, criminal), political science | Application file (July-August) |
| Faculty of Economics and Management | FSEG | Management science, monetary and banking economics; professional degrees in banking-finance and accounting-finance | Application file (July-August) |
| Faculty of Education | FSE | Education management, teaching methods, guidance; master's and PhD in governance of educational organisations | Application file (July-August) |
| Faculty of Science | FS | Department of Agriculture and Natural Disaster Management (classes began in December 2024) | Entrance exam for agriculture (2024-2025) |
| Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences | FALSH | Programmes not published on the website | Not specified |
The website's overview page, written at the outset, says only four faculties and one professional school were then running (FSJP, FSEG, FSE, FMSB, ESSEC), with arts, science and fine arts 'awaiting opening'. The 2024 exam notices show that IBAI and the Faculty of Science have since opened; no opening date has been published for the arts faculty.
Admission and fees
According to the official website, ESSEC and the medical school recruit by entrance exam, while the education, economics and law faculties admit on the basis of an application file every July and August. First-cycle programmes are open to holders of a general baccalauréat, a GCE A Level or a capacité en droit (with an average of at least 12/20). Tuition is 50,000 CFA francs a year for Cameroonians and CEMAC nationals. Pre-registration is online at preinscriptions.univ-garoua.cm.
Frequently asked questions
When was the University of Garoua founded?
By Decree No. 2022/003 of 5 January 2022, followed by organisation Decree No. 2022/010 of 6 January 2022. The first classes took place on 4 October 2022.
Where is the University of Garoua?
In Garoua, capital of the North Region; its campus is at Djoumassi.
Is there a medical school in Garoua?
Yes: the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, created in 2018 within the University of Ngaoundéré and part of the University of Garoua since 2022. Entry is by competitive exam.
What programmes does the University of Garoua offer?
Law and political science, economics and management, education, medicine, business and management (ESSEC), agriculture (Faculty of Science) and fine arts (IBAI).
How much are fees at the University of Garoua?
Tuition is 50,000 CFA francs a year for Cameroonians and CEMAC nationals, according to the official website.
Handle with care
No official enrolment figure has been published since the 3,500 students cited by DataCameroon in 2022. The official website is partly empty (housing, catering, arts and fine arts programmes) and its overview dates from the start-up. The appointments decree of 11 August 2025 is not available online: no 2026 source confirms the rector is still in office.