Tunisia opens registration for diaspora Arabic summer university from 2 to 31 July

The Office for Tunisians Abroad (OTE) has opened registration for its annual Arabic summer university, which will run from 2 to 31 July 2026 in partnership with the Bourguiba Institute of Modern Languages (IBLV).

The programme is aimed at Tunisian students living in countries where Arabic is not spoken, part of the OTE's long-running effort to keep younger members of the diaspora connected to the language, culture and identity of Tunisia.

Applicants must first pre-register on the IBLV website at iblv.rnu.tn, then send the OTE a participation request addressed to its director general, together with a copy of the pre-registration document, a copy of their Tunisian passport, and a copy of their foreign passport or consular card.

Once an application is reviewed and accepted, the OTE covers 70% of the tuition fees, and the participant pays the remaining 30% at the start of the session.

The Bourguiba Institute, created in 1962 and attached to the University of Tunis El Manar, runs intensive summer courses in Arabic as a foreign language for more than 800 participants each year. The OTE holds its summer university there during July and August for students from the diaspora, alongside other seasonal programmes including online Arabic courses for diaspora children.

Tunisia counts more than 1.3 million citizens abroad, with the largest communities in France, Italy, Germany, the Gulf and North America. Remittances from the diaspora are worth roughly 6% of GDP, ahead of the country's tourism receipts, which keeps diaspora engagement an economic as well as a cultural priority for the government.

Prospective participants can find the registration form and the full list of supporting documents through the IBLV site and the OTE's official channels.