Study and find schools in Mozambique

Studying in Mozambique

Mozambique lies on the east coast of southern Africa, facing the Indian Ocean along the Mozambique Channel. It became independent on 25 June 1975, and its capital is Maputo. According to the national statistics institute (INE), the population in 2026 is 34,958,973, of whom about 35% live in urban areas.

For international students, the key fact is language: the official language is Portuguese, and university programmes, such as those of the Universidade Católica de Moçambique, are presented and taught in Portuguese. The government portal also lists some twenty national languages, including Emakhuwa, Xichanga, Cinyanja and Kiswahili. Students from Brazil, Portugal and the other Portuguese-speaking countries can therefore study without a language barrier.

The education system in Mozambique

Higher education is offered by public and private universities and higher institutes (institutos superiores). Many universities have campuses or branches in several provinces, which matters in a country of this size: a university based in Beira, for example, may teach some degrees in Nampula, Pemba or Chimoio.

Degrees follow a structure familiar to students from the Portuguese-speaking world:

• Licenciatura, the first degree, typically four years
• Mestrado (master's degree)
• Doutoramento (doctorate)

At the Universidade Católica de Moçambique, for example, the licenciatura in Law and the licenciatura in Hospital Administration and Management each last four years, the latter divided into eight semesters. Some degrees award both an academic degree and a professional title, which is relevant for regulated professions.

Quality assurance is the task of the Conselho Nacional de Avaliação da Qualidade do Ensino Superior (CNAQ). It was set up under Decree 63/2007 of 31 December 2007, which created the national system for the evaluation, accreditation and quality assurance of higher education (SINAQES). The CNAQ describes accreditation as the outcome of external evaluation, certifying the quality of an institution or of its courses and programmes. According to the CNAQ, accreditation helps students with academic mobility, eligibility for scholarships and registration with professional associations. Its first pilot external evaluation, in 2014, covered 20 programmes at 10 public and private institutions, including the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane.

Admission and recognition

Each institution organises its own admission, usually through an annual call for applications (edital) and online registration. Foreign applicants should contact the institution directly about the documents it requires, how it evaluates foreign secondary-school certificates and whether a Portuguese language test is needed.

Before enrolling, it is sensible to ask whether the chosen programme has been evaluated or accredited by the CNAQ, especially if you will need your degree recognised later in another country. Recognition of a Mozambican degree abroad depends on the rules of the country where you want to use it.

Student visa and residence

Depending on nationality, foreign visitors enter Mozambique visa-free, with an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) or with a visa. The official eVisa portal, run for the National Migration Service (SENAMI), handles eTAs and eVisas, but the categories it lists are short-stay purposes such as tourism, business, investment, cultural and sporting events, humanitarian missions and crew travel. Students who will stay for a degree should therefore ask the Mozambican embassy or consulate in their country, and the university that has admitted them, about the correct visa and residence procedure (information checked October 2026).

The general requirements for any visa, according to the eVisa portal, are a passport valid for at least six months, proof of means of subsistence and payment of the visa fee, plus the specific requirements of each visa type. Standard eVisa processing takes about five business days after payment.

Costs

There is no single national scale of tuition fees for foreign students. Fees are set by each institution and vary by programme, so ask the institution for its current fee table for international students before applying. The currency is the metical (MZN). No official source gives a figure for student living costs.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists two universities in Mozambique, both offering programmes in fields such as Law, Economics, Medicine, Education, Information Technology, and Tourism and Hotel Management:

• Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM), a public university in Maputo, the capital
• Universidade Católica de Moçambique (UCM), a private university based in Beira, Sofala province

The UCM was officially founded in 1995 as a private higher education institution of the Mozambican Episcopal Conference, and opened on 10 August 1996 with a Faculty of Economics and Management in Beira and a Faculty of Law in Nampula. It later added faculties of education, agriculture, health sciences, tourism and IT, and engineering in different cities, and it now teaches at licenciatura and master's level.

Practical life

Mozambique is a large country: the northern half, above the Zambezi river, is mainly a high plateau, while the south is a wide coastal plain covered by savannah and crossed by river valleys such as the Limpopo, according to the government portal. Distances between Maputo in the far south and cities such as Beira, Nampula or Pemba are long, so check which campus a programme is actually taught at.

Daily life in the cities is in Portuguese, so learning the language before arrival is the most useful preparation. Arrange health insurance before travelling and check the vaccination and entry health requirements with the embassy.

Frequently asked questions

What language are university courses taught in?

Mostly Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique. Check with each institution whether any programme is offered in English.

Who accredits universities in Mozambique?

The Conselho Nacional de Avaliação da Qualidade do Ensino Superior (CNAQ), created under Decree 63/2007, evaluates and accredits higher education institutions and their programmes.

How long is a first degree in Mozambique?

A licenciatura usually lasts four years; for example, the UCM's licenciatura in Law takes four years.

How do I get a student visa for Mozambique?

The official eVisa portal covers short stays such as tourism and business, so students should contact the Mozambican embassy or consulate and their university for the student visa procedure. General visa requirements include a passport valid for six months and proof of means of subsistence.