Education in Albania: school stages, the Matura Shtetërore and university entry

In short

Education in Albania is organised nationally. The Ministry of Education sets the curriculum, the school stages and the rules for national examinations, and the same system applies in every region. Children begin basic education at the age of six, and school attendance is compulsory for the nine years of basic education. After that, students move to upper secondary school, where most of them prepare for the national school-leaving examination, the Matura Shtetërore (the state matura). A pass in the Matura, together with the school results, is the normal route to a place at a university. This guide explains the stages in order and then shows how to practise on GetMyMockTest.

School stages

1. Pre-school (kindergarten): Children from about three years old can attend nursery and kindergarten. Pre-school is not compulsory, but many families use it, particularly in cities.
2. Basic education (arsimi bazë): Nine years, usually from age six to about fifteen. The first part covers the primary grades and the second part the lower secondary grades. Pupils study Albanian language and literature, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, a foreign language (often English), arts, music and physical education.
3. Upper secondary school (arsimi i mesëm i lartë): Three years, grades ten to twelve. Students choose between the general gymnasium (gjimnaz), which concentrates on academic subjects, and vocational or technical schools, which prepare for a trade and for work. Depending on the programme, vocational students can also sit national examinations and continue to higher education.
4. Higher education: Universities and other higher education institutions, public and private, which follow the Bologna structure of bachelor, master and doctoral cycles. Albania has taken part in the Bologna Process since 2003.

The national exam: the Matura Shtetërore

The Matura Shtetërore is taken at the end of the final year of upper secondary school. The examinations are set nationally, so every candidate in the country answers papers prepared centrally, and the papers are marked under national rules and not by the student's own teachers. Candidates sit examinations in a small number of subjects. Albanian language and literature is part of the group that every candidate studies, and the other subjects depend on the rules of the year and on the choices the student makes. Typical choices include mathematics, a foreign language, biology, physics, chemistry, history and geography.

The final result of a student combines two elements: the marks earned during the upper secondary years and the results of the Matura papers. School marks are given on a numerical scale where the lowest grades are failing grades, and the Matura papers are marked separately on a national scale. The exact weighting, the list of compulsory subjects and the timetable are decided by the Ministry of Education and can change from one year to the next, so candidates should always read the instructions published for their own year.

Applying to university

Students apply for places in higher education through a national application procedure that is run online by the education authorities. An applicant lists the study programmes in order of preference, and places are filled according to a ranking that is based on the school and Matura results. Programmes that attract many applicants ask for stronger results than programmes with open places. Some fields, such as medicine, have separate rules or additional requirements, and a few programmes in arts, sport or music have their own entry tests.

Well-known public universities include the University of Tirana, founded in 1957, the Polytechnic University of Tirana, and the Agricultural University of Tirana. The University of Medicine in Tirana trains doctors, dentists and pharmacists. There are also public universities in other cities, such as Shkodër, Durrës, Vlorë, Korçë, Elbasan and Gjirokastër, and a growing number of private institutions. The quality of study programmes is overseen by the national agency for quality assurance in higher education, which accredits institutions and programmes.

Bachelor programmes usually last three years, and master's programmes two years. Some professional fields, including medicine, are taught in a single integrated programme that lasts longer. Students who want to study abroad often take an English language certificate, and Albanian students also use the Erasmus+ programme to spend a semester at a university in another European country.

Studying for the Matura

Candidates usually prepare in three ways: by going over the school curriculum for each subject, by working through past papers and sample questions, and by practising timed sets of questions so that the time limits feel familiar. Mathematics benefits from daily problem solving, because the same methods appear in different forms. Albanian language and literature asks for knowledge of authors and works, of grammar, and of how to read and discuss a text.

Practising on GetMyMockTest

These are practice questions we wrote for study. They are not the official exams, and we do not claim they match an exam's current format. Free practice for Albania:

• Matura Shtetërore: mathematics, Albanian language and literature, and biology, with timed tests, an explanation for every answer and a flashcard deck of mathematics formulas.
• Albanian general knowledge: history and politics, geography and nature, and science, arts and culture, with a quick-facts flashcard deck.
• Patenta Shoferi (Albanian driving theory): traffic rules and priority, road signs, vehicle mechanics and safety, and emergency first aid, with timed tests and flashcard decks.