Universities in Armenia

In Armenia, universities are part of a wider higher education sector of universities, institutes, academies and conservatories. According to the country's ENIC-NARIC centre, Armenia has 50 higher education institutions, public, private and international, with about 76,400 students. Most of them are in the capital, Yerevan, where all six universities in our directory are located.

What makes Armenia interesting for international students is the range of teaching languages. State universities teach mainly in Armenian, but there are also an American university teaching in English, a French university and an interstate Russian-Armenian university, and the state medical university teaches in Armenian, Russian and English.

How university study works in Armenia

Armenia follows the Bologna three-cycle structure of the European Higher Education Area:

• Bachelor's degree: 180 to 240 ECTS credits, over three to four years of full-time study
• Master's degree: at least 60 ECTS credits
• Doctorate: typically three years and 180 ECTS credits
• Medicine and dentistry: integrated programmes of five to six years (300 to 360 ECTS credits)

Quality assurance is the job of the National Center for Professional Education Quality Assurance (ANQA), founded by the government in 2008. All higher education institutions must go through accreditation to be recognised, and only qualifications from licensed and accredited institutions count as officially recognised for further study and employment.

The universities in our directory show the variety. Yerevan State University (YSU), founded in 1919, has 14,333 students. Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) teaches in Armenian, Russian and English. The American University of Armenia (AUA) teaches its courses in English and is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) in the United States. The Russian-Armenian University (RAU) is an interstate university with 6,039 students in eight institutes, according to its website. The French University in Armenia (UFAR) offers bachelor's programmes in law, management, finance, marketing and computer science.

Admission for international students

Armenian school-leavers enter university through the Unified State Examinations. Foreign applicants to state universities apply through the national online platform fs.emis.am. At YSU, applications open on 1 June each year; bachelor's study requires fluency in Armenian and passing the faculty's entrance exams, although some specialities can be taught in English, and YSU runs preparatory courses for foreign citizens. YSMU accepted applications from foreign citizens for 2026-27 through fs.emis.am from 22 June to 30 September 2026. Private and international universities such as AUA and UFAR run their own admission procedures; UFAR, for example, sets entrance exams by faculty and accepts SAT mathematics scores.

Armenia ratified the Lisbon Recognition Convention in 2005, and its national information centre, ArmENIC, handles the recognition of foreign qualifications. Many nationalities, including citizens of most EU countries and of Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama and Uruguay, can enter without a visa. For a full degree, students need a temporary resident card, which is issued to foreign citizens who study in Armenia; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists a fee of 105,000 AMD for a card of up to one year and a processing time of up to 30 days.

Costs and funding

Each university sets its own fees in Armenian drams (AMD). Some examples for international students:

• YSMU: 2,600,000 AMD per year for General Medicine (six years); the annual fee stays the same for the whole programme
• AUA study abroad: 2,700,000 AMD per full-time semester, plus 50,000 AMD per semester for medical insurance
• UFAR: 1,050,000 AMD for the first year of law, management, finance and marketing (2026-27)

AUA states that international students can receive merit-based scholarships of up to 50% of tuition, and UFAR has academic scholarships for its best students.

How to choose a university in Armenia

• Language: Armenian at most state universities; English at AUA; Armenian, Russian or English at YSMU; Russian at RAU; at UFAR, ask which language each programme uses (its entrance exams include French, English or German)
• Accreditation: check that the institution and programme are accredited through ANQA
• Degree or semester: AUA also accepts study abroad students for a semester or a summer term of five to eight weeks
• Recognition at home: for medicine, check with the licensing authority in the country where you want to work
• Total cost: add the resident card, insurance and housing to tuition

Frequently asked questions

Can I study at a university in Armenia in English?

Yes, at some universities. AUA teaches in English, YSMU teaches medicine in English as well as Armenian and Russian, and YSU can organise some specialities in English.

How do foreign students apply to state universities in Armenia?

Through the national online platform fs.emis.am, within each university's application period. Private and international universities have their own procedures.

How much does it cost to study medicine in Armenia?

At YSMU, General Medicine costs 2,600,000 AMD per year for international students, and the annual fee stays the same for the whole programme.

Do I need a residence permit to study in Armenia?

For a full degree, yes: foreign students receive a temporary resident card, issued for one year with the possibility of a one-year extension.