SMU, South Mediterranean University, is the University regrouping MSB, the Mediterranean School of Business, Medtech, the Mediterranean Institute of Technology, and LCI, the Language and Culture Institute.
SMU was founded in 2002 with the launch of the Executive MBA program which was overseen by Pr. Mahmoud Triki.
The Advising and Counseling Center (ACC) provides academic advising and personal counseling to current students. The ACC staff works with members of the University to assist students in resolving academic, personal, and psychological issues.
The Career Center helps students and alumni define and reach their career goals, guide them throughout their professional development, and help them expand their professional network. The Career Center is also committed to maintain and develop partnerships with SMU’s employers' network and assisting them in terms of recruitment needs, thanks to our diverse student profiles. The Career Center also helps students find opportunities for internships.
A South Mediterranean University alumnus/a is defined as any person receiving either a degree or a certificate of completion from MSB, Medtech, or LCI.
Created in 2011 to create an environment where SMU graduates can connect for mutual benefits. Its objective is to foster and nurture Alumni relations through different programs such as Alumni Network and the Alumni relation programs. SMU Alumni Association has the responsibility to provide graduates with a suitable framework and opportunities to meet and exchange with each other through events, fundraising activities, cultural and sporting events, round tables.
The Student Life Department plays a role in mobilizing students and ensuring extracurricular activities on and off-campus by organizing different events and activities. Student life offers many on-campus activities such as; basketball, ping-pong, and chess. It also organizes events such as Tunisian Day, Japanese Day, and Indonesian Day.
SMU offers the opportunity for students to be part of one of their various clubs. Campus life is vibrant outside the classrooms, where the spirit of teamwork and collectivity is supported by the University. There are 14 SMU student clubs and partnerships and relationships with national and international networks and associations such as AIESEC, Leo Club, ENACTUS.
SMU students, depending on the school (MedTech or MSB), can enjoy partnerships with many other universities all over the world. Students can benefit from partnerships with HEC Montréal, University of Michigan, IE Madrid, IESEG Paris and Lille, Catolica Lisbon, EM Normandy, and more.
SMU accepts the transfer of up to 50% of validated courses from another University. To process the transfer, students must provide the syllabus of the transferred courses and their transcripts.
To be comfortable with the different courses at the SMU, you should have an English level of IELTS 6, TOEFL PBT 563, TOEFL IBT 80, or level B2. In other words, you need to be a competent user: the student should have a correct proficiency in English with some approximations and can successfully engage in everyday conversations.
A transcript is an official list of the courses (or classes) you have taken and the grades you have earned in those courses during your academic career.
GPA and CGPA both measure the performance of a student on a course. The main difference is that GPA [La moyenne pondérée] measures the performance of a single unit or semester and CGPA [La moyenne cumulative pondérée] measures the performance throughout the course including all units and semesters.
The number of students per class varies from 20 to 30 students.
The Professors and SMU use a wide variety of tools:
LMS Moodle where students can find all their courses, their grades, and their attendance records. Students are sometimes asked to pass their quizzes or submit assignments on Moodle.
An intranet, My Info, where students can get their schedules, fill academic forms, find the deliberation document, find the student handbook, find the curriculum...
A helpdesk where students can book boxes or classes, send an IT support request...
The Outlook Email is the official means of communication between Professors, students, and the administration.
The online courses are assured through Microsoft Teams.
Each student at SMU has three reference documents:
The department that offers advice and supports services is the Advising and Counseling Center (ACC). Moreover, if the student faces some study difficulties, Professors have office hours answering any course-related questions. The ACC also offers a peer tutoring program where the most brilliant students from older years help students in difficulty.
SMU bought for its students two large databases accessible only by their student account: EBSCO and Emerald. EBSCO is the leading provider of research databases, e-journals, magazine subscriptions, e-books, and discovery services to libraries of all kinds. Emerald Publishing's research platform is a comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed management journals providing full-text access to 150 journals and reviews from 300 management journals. They offer access to over more than 2,500 books and over 1,500 case studies.
Il n’y a pas de date limite pour l’envoi des candidatures. Cependant, les places sont limitées : premier arrivé, premier servi. Les étudiants ayant soumis leur demande d’admission tardivement seront inscrits sur la liste d’attente pour l’année académique suivante.
SMU’s application process is the following one:
1) The admission procedure starts when the candidate fills out the online application form and submits a complete file.
2) The candidate must pay the applicable admission fees (MSB/MedTech: 500 TND – HEC Montreal: 600 TND).
3) The candidate takes the different admission tests (If applicable).
4) Upon validation of the test, the Admission Office schedules an interview with the candidate (if applicable).
5) The admission decision is then communicated to the applicant.
6) Once admitted, a letter of admission is delivered to the candidate, and a payment of 2000 dinars (1700 Euros to the EMBA) is required as confirmation. Otherwise, the seat will be awarded to another candidate.
For the undergraduate program, whether for the Medtech or the MSB, there are two admission tests to pass: a mathematics test and an English test. For the graduate program, there are five admission tests to pass: an English placement test, a statistics placement test, an economics placement test, an accounting placement test, and a placement Management test. For the executive program, there is only one English placement test to pass.
There are different conditions depending on the type of program:
Undergraduate Program in Management (License): Tunisian Baccalaureate in Arts, Science, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics and Management or equivalent or French Baccalaureate in S or ES. The minimum required is a GPA of 12/20.
Bachelor MSB/ HEC Montreal (2+2): Tunisian Baccalaureate in Science or Mathematics with the minimum required GPA of 14/20 or French Baccalaureate in S or ES with math specialization. The minimum required GPA of 14/20.
Pre-Engineering Program: Tunisian Baccalaureate in Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Sciences, Technique or a French Baccalaureate in S. The minimum required GPA of 12/20.
Engineering Program: License in a Scientific or Technical subject, or passing the national examination for entrance to engineering schools
Master's in Business Management: Undergraduate diploma or equivalent: 3 years minimum in any specialization on analysis of the candidate's file
Executive MBA: License Degree or equivalent, with a minimum of 3 years of professional experience in a managerial position.
Underneath is the list of the required documents for checking:
One certified copy of the Baccalaureate Diploma with the exam report and/or Equivalence from Higher Ministry of Education (for a foreign diploma)
One certified copy of the school reports (the last two years of High School)
A copy of the CIN (for Tunisians) or the passport (for international students).
A recent birth certificate in French
A Medical Certificate/ File
Certified Copy of the last diploma for the master and EMBA applicants
One certified copy of the academic reports (the last three years) + CV and Motivation Letter in English for master and EMBA applicants
A Business Card for EMBA applicants
ANY INCOMPLETE APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.
The admission committee examines your application and makes a final decision within two weeks. Once informed, our admission officer will get back to you with the verdict. Once admitted, a letter of admission is delivered to the candidate, and a payment of 2,000 dinars is required as confirmation. Otherwise, admission acceptance will be awarded to another candidate.
Your application is valid throughout the academic year. However, after the academic year, the applicant must go again through all the application process.
Depending on the program and the year, the term starts between the 1st of September and the 25th of September for full-time students. The admission letter will specify the date of the term start.
Once you pass your placement test(s), the admission office will contact you to schedule an appointment for your interview. International students may request a virtual admissions interview (over Skype or an online video conference). However, the interview is not automatic: it is specific to the applicant.
The campus is open to visitors whenever they want as long as they come to the Admission of the SMU and inform them. SMU often organizes campus tours before the application deadline. To get informed of any campus tours, please follow us on social media.
The tuition fees are contingent on the program of study: it varies from the MSB to Medtech to LCI. The tuition fee includes VAT (7%) but may increase depending on the government taxation policy. SMU reserves the right to increase the fees by no more than 5% each year as per what is permitted by the Tunisian law. Other fees such as official documents, issuing a new ID, reactivation, exam only, and course retaking are listed in the Students’ Handbook.
SMU accepts payments by bank transfer, by cheque, or by debit card. Cash payments are not accepted.
To promote diversity and excellency, SMU Foundation offers 3 types of scholarships, at admission, for their students, whatever the program they follow:
The Excellence Scholarship for candidates with an excellent academic record, talented, passionate, and invested in extracurricular activities. It varies from 25% to 100% tuition fees depending on the candidates' scores and ranking.
Equality Scholarship is addressed for candidates with an excellent academic record, talented, passionate, and invested in extracurricular activities and who encounter financial difficulties. The equality scholarship covers 100% of the tuition fees.
The Diversity Scholarship is directed to International students from emerging countries and/or candidates with special needs.
During your studying journey, SMU encourages students to pursue their exceptional behavior and excellency by offering scholarships for the top 3 students for each program: a 100% scholarship for the first one, 50% for the second one, and 25% for the third one. Finally, our partnership with Zitouna Bank allows a bank loan with 0 interest rates.
The admission fees (MSB/MedTech: 500 TND – HEC Montreal: 600 TND) and the initial payment (2000 dinars or 1700 Euros for the EMBA) are not refundable.
Graduation is not automatic. There are some requirements to be fulfilled. Students must maintain a minimum CGPA of 2.0 over 4, earn 75% of all program credits, no grades less than D+, validated both internships, completed Start Smart, and fulfill the Business Communication proficiency requirements.
If a student does not meet the graduation’s requirements, they will be placed on academic probation. There are two types of probation:
Students that accumulate three probations will be dismissed from the University.
Students will receive their diplomas 1 to 2 months after the graduation ceremony.
SMU students enjoy a good reputation in the professional and academic world on the national and international level:
SMU students who joined the business world gained an average net salary between 1246 TND to 1483 TND
To encourage excellence at SMU, students can benefit from 2 types of honors during an Academic Term (Fall or Winter).
Honors List: Students achieve a GPA higher or equal to 3.3 and lower than 3.5 over 4.0
Deans List: Students achieve a GPA higher or equal to 3.5 over 4.0.
All SMU programs are approved by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, meaning the diplomas issued by SMU are the same as those of public institutions; they are therefore recognized by the Government.
Studying in Tunisia has many benefits. For example, we can list the following ones:
Strategic location: in the heart of the Mediterranean with daily connections to major cities in the region. By air, Tunis is only one hour away from Rome, two hours from Paris, and many other Western European capitals.
Diverse and & tolerant people: an open and broad-minded society with a mosaic of cultural backgrounds.
A touristic Destination.
A privileged position for women.
We recommend that you arrive in Tunis at least two weeks before classes start. You will have time to discover Tunis, the University, and have your landmarks.
To open a bank account, you must present yourself in any bank agency with:
You can receive money from your hometown by bank transfer once you open a Tunisian bank account. You may also use the more expensive Western Union service in Tunisia. We recommend that you bring cash or, preferably, international credit cards to help facilitate transactions until a local bank account can be opened.
Upon your arrival in Tunisia, you can exchange your foreign currency in airport banks (open 24/7), exchange stations (that you can find near the University), or in your bank.
SMU is located near many facilities in Lac 2 close to the northern suburbs of Tunis (la Marsa, Ain Zaghouan, L’Aouina, Les Jardins de Carthage, and La Goulette), where you can find many housing opportunities.
SMU provides a Housing Office to support the international students with their relocation to Tunisia (including a reception at the airport, support in housing & residency procedures including the “carte de séjour”).
The information below could help you have an estimation of the living costs in Tunis:
Shared Apartment: 250-400 DT per month
Studio: 500-700 DT per month
Individual Housing (Nothern Suburbs): 800-700 DT per month
Food: 250-500 DT per month
Local Transportation: 200 DT per month
Books & School Materials: Included in the tuition fees
Clothing & Personal Expenses: Depends on student and requirements
Upon your arrival, you should present yourself to our Admissions office. Our team will help you finalize your admissions to SMU.
To do so, you must submit the following documents:
It is compulsory to fill in a request for a residence permit shortly after your arrival (within a maximum of one month).
Below is the list of the required documents (to submit to the police station serving your area of residence) to obtain a residence permit:
It is possible to work while studying in Tunisia for Tunisians. However, for international students, you need to have prior authorization from local authorities.
Lac II is centrally located but does not offer public transportation. Most bus lines have stops on the La Marsa highway (GP9), but not inside Lac II. Taxis are also available and are recommended for most trips.
There are many carpooling Apps enabling students to get rides to and from school. Hezni Maak, a phone App founded by Youssef Meksi, a former MSB student.
The Tunisian community, and consequently, the SMU community, is cordial and cosmopolitan. International students will find support and help from most of the inhabitants. SMU hosts an integration club, TuniGaory, which enables international students to better integrate through different fun activities. Also, faculty members and diverse students offer assistance and support to international students.
