University of Maroua
Founded in 2008, the University of Maroua (UMa) is the main university of the Far North Region. It was built around its Higher Teacher Training College, which trains secondary-school teachers for Cameroon and Chad, and now has seven institutions: four faculties and three professional schools, including a school of mines and petroleum industries in Kaélé.
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At a glance
- City and campuses
- Maroua, Far North Region (Ouro Tchédé, Sékandé and Kongola-Djoulgouf-Kodek sites); mining school in Kaélé, 67 km away
- Founded
- Decree No. 2008/280 of 9 August 2008 (creation) and No. 2008/281 of the same day (organisation)
- Status
- Bilingual state university under MINESUP
- Rector
- Prof. Idrissou Alioum, appointed by Decree No. 2017/318 of 27 June 2017 (still in office in December 2025 according to Cameroon Tribune)
- Students
- About 15,000 in 2016 (official website); no more recent figure is published
- Official website
- www.univ-maroua.cm
History: a university that grew from a teacher training college
The university was created by Presidential Decree No. 2008/280 of 9 August 2008; Decree No. 2008/281 of the same day, which organised it, set up its first two institutions: the Higher Teacher Training College (ENS) and the Higher Institute of the Sahel (ISS), running since January 2010. According to the rector's message, UMa is the country's seventh state university in order of creation.
Decree No. 2013/333 of 13 September 2013 added four faculties (arts and humanities, science, law and political science, economics and management) and an Institute of Mines and Petroleum Industries. The latter later became a faculty (FMIP) and then, under Decree No. 2022/011 of 7 January 2022, the National Higher School of Mines and Petroleum Industries (ENSMIP). The ISS, for its part, became the National Advanced School of Engineering of Maroua (ENSPM).
| Year | Students | Teaching staff |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 6,604 | 133 |
| 2011 | 10,810 | 283 |
| 2013 | 8,661 | 402 |
| 2015 | 11,113 | 458 |
| 2016 | 15,000 | 462 |
Faculties and professional schools
| Institution | Acronym | Specialisms | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Teacher Training College | ENS | Secondary teachers (DIPES I and II), teacher-training-college lecturers (DIPEN I and II), guidance counsellors (DIPCO); 13 departments | Written or file-based entrance exam; aged 28 or under for the first cycle (baccalauréat A, C, D, E or GCE A Level), 31 or under for the second cycle |
| National Advanced School of Engineering (formerly Higher Institute of the Sahel) | ENSPM | Engineers: renewable energy, Sahelian agriculture and hydraulics, environment and desertification, textiles and leather, computing, arts and crafts | Annual MINESUP entrance exam, or admission on qualifications (often for people already in work) |
| National Higher School of Mines and Petroleum Industries (Kaélé) | ENSMIP | Mining economics and law; mineral, petroleum and groundwater exploration; mining engineering; petroleum mechanical engineering; refining and petrochemistry; industrial safety | Entrance exam (first and third years of the five-year engineering degree) |
| Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences | FALSH | Literature, languages, social sciences | Online pre-registration with the baccalauréat or GCE A Level |
| Faculty of Science | FS | Core sciences; bachelor's in biomedical and health sciences; professional diplomas, bachelor's and master's | Pre-registration; entrance exam for biomedical sciences; application file for professional programmes |
| Faculty of Economics and Management | FSEG | Economics, management | Online pre-registration |
| Faculty of Law and Political Science | FSJP | Law, political science | Online pre-registration |
Specialisms and strengths
- The ENS, the founding institution: according to the official website, it has trained more than 18,000 teachers now working in Cameroon and Chad. In December 2025, 1,032 new graduates received their diplomas (761 secondary teachers, 205 teacher-training lecturers, 66 guidance counsellors), Cameroon Tribune reported.
- ENSMIP in Kaélé, a mining and petroleum engineering school: the 2022-2023 exam offered 360 places in six programmes, with a 20,000 CFA franc fee and a final mark made up 70% of the written test and 30% of the school record.
- ENSPM, heir to the Higher Institute of the Sahel, focused on the problems of the Sahel zone: solar energy, water, desertification, cotton and leather.
Campuses and student life
UMa is spread across several sites in Maroua: Ouro Tchédé, Sékandé and Kongola-Djoulgouf-Kodek, home to the ENS and the sports complex. In December 2025 the governor of Nigeria's Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum, announced he would fund a 500-seat lecture theatre worth 500 million CFA francs on that site, Cameroon Tribune reported.
With too little university housing, the official website says students mostly live in private hostels; a special student-rent unit was set up in 2009 to police prices. Two refectories serve about 1,500 meals a day at 100 CFA francs a plate. The site lists some twenty clubs and associations, including a foreign students' association.
The Far North has been hit by Boko Haram-related violence since the mid-2010s. We found no public source describing precisely how this has affected the university's operations; recent academic years (2024-2025, 2026-2027) opened normally according to the university and the press.
Admission
For 2026-2027, pre-registration for the faculties opened on 17 August 2026, online only (preinscription.univ-maroua.cm). The professional schools (ENS, ENSPM, ENSMIP) and the Faculty of Science's biomedical programme recruit by entrance exam, with results published by MINESUP. For teaching careers after the ENS, see the page on becoming a teacher.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the University of Maroua?
In Maroua, capital of the Far North Region, across several sites (Ouro Tchédé, Sékandé, Kongola-Djoulgouf-Kodek). Its mining school is in Kaélé, 67 km away.
When was the University of Maroua founded?
By Decree No. 2008/280 of 9 August 2008. Its first institutions, the ENS and the Higher Institute of the Sahel, were created the same day.
What programmes does the Kaélé mining school offer?
ENSMIP trains engineers over five years in six programmes: mining economics and law, exploration, mining engineering, oil and gas mechanical engineering, refining and petrochemistry, and industrial safety.
What is the age limit for the ENS Maroua entrance exam?
According to the university website, 28 for the first cycle and 31 for the second cycle.
Who is the rector of the University of Maroua?
Prof. Idrissou Alioum, appointed in June 2017 and still in office at the end of 2025.
Handle with care
The official website is not fully up to date: its 'officials' page lists a former team, and its figures stop in 2016. Wikipedia gives 11,943 students in 2014, the website 11,090. The available sources do not establish the exact date the ISS became ENSPM. No document consulted details the effect of insecurity on the university.