Student budget in Algeria: making the grant last

How much is the university grant in Algeria?

The grant (la bourse, المنحة الجامعية) went up at the Council of Ministers on 1 October 2023. It rose from 1 300 DA to 2 000 DA a month, or 6 000 DA a quarter , from that October. At the time, the ministry said doctoral students received 12 000 DA a month. Master's students have their own rates, so check yours with your university.

The higher education minister then said the grant would be paid every month, on the 18th , instead of every three months. A second rise has also been announced. In September 2024 the ministry's director-general of finance said the monthly amount would be doubled to 4 000 DA "in the near future". Until a new amount is officially published and actually paid, plan with what reaches your account. Your university services directorate (DOU) can confirm the rate and the payment dates.

New students apply online on the ministry's PROGRES platform, usually in September. The grant is paid into the student's Algérie Poste account (CCP), so you can spend it with your Edahabia card.

Making the grant last when it comes late or all at once

The first payment of the academic year can take a while, and back pay then lands in one go. 6 000 DA in your account feels like a lot of money, but if it covers three months, it is still only 2 000 DA a month. Whatever the payment schedule, the trick is the same: split the money by month before you touch it.

1. Check which months the payment covers and note the date it arrived.
2. Take out your savings straight away, for example 500 DA for each month covered, so 1 500 DA from a 6 000 DA payment.
3. Divide what is left by the number of months: 4 500 DA over three months gives you 1 500 DA a month.
4. Leave that monthly amount on the Edahabia card or in a separate cash envelope, and don't touch next month's share.
5. While you wait for a late payment, don't run up kridi (credit at the local shop) on treats. Borrow for essentials only, and write down who you owe.

A student's month in dinars: a worked example

Take Yasmine, a second-year licence student who lives with her family and takes the bus to campus. She has about 12 000 DA a month: 10 000 DA from her parents and 2 000 DA of grant. Your figures will be different. The point is the method: every dinar gets a job before the month starts.

Compare the first two rows. Lunch on campus costs almost nothing, while coffees and sandwiches outside take more than a quarter of the month. That gap is where most students can find money, and you don't have to give up coffee with friends to find it.

Food and transport: the two cheapest essentials

University restaurants charge a symbolic price. In Batna, for example, the services directorate gives the price of a meal as a ticket worth 1.20 DA, for students living in a residence and for those living at home. Students who don't live in a residence need a meal card, issued once they hand in a few documents. Many universities now ask you to top up an electronic wallet or book meals in advance, so make that part of your weekly routine. That way you won't end up buying a sandwich because you forgot.

University buses work the same way. If a route serves your area, use it on study days and keep your transport money for weekends and the odd evening. A shared taxi or ride-hailing trip now and then is fine; three a week will use up the whole transport limit before the 15th.

If you live in a university residence, your budget looks different. Housing and meals cost almost nothing, but there's the trip home and back, the food you bring from home and things for the room. Give the trip home its own category, because it often falls at the same time as exams and Aïd.

How to save money as a student, even a little

Saving on 12 000 DA a month can sound like a joke, but the habit counts for more than the amount. 1 000 DA a month over the nine months of the academic year comes to 9 000 DA by June. That pays for a phone repair, part of a summer trip to the sea or a deposit on a second-hand laptop. Prices go up every year (see why your shopping basket feels heavier ), so a fixed target in dinars is easier to stick to than a vague intention.

• Pay yourself first: set your savings aside on the day the grant or family money arrives.
• Give the goal a name and a month: "laptop, 30 000 DA, by June 2027".
• Use free campus resources first: the library, the university Wi-Fi, shared course notes.
• Split the cost of handouts and photocopies with classmates, and print only what you will actually read.
• Count small cash payments too. A 50 DA coffee every day comes to more than 1 000 DA a month.
• If you join a daret (a rotating savings circle) with friends, only commit to a share you can pay every single month.

If you work in the summer or tutor younger pupils, decide in advance how to split that money, for example half for the goal and half to cover the months when the grant is late. The 50/30/20 method in dinars works on a student's income too, just with smaller numbers.

Category budgets and a savings goal in Jibi

The table above is easy to draw up in October and easy to forget by November. Jibi is a free app in Arabic, French and English that turns it into a monthly budget, with a limit for each category and a warning as you get close, for example at 3 000 DA of your 3 500 DA for snacks. You can keep separate wallets for cash and the Edahabia card, each with its own balance, and set a savings goal with a target month to see whether June is still realistic.

Jibi never connects to Algérie Poste, BaridiMob or any bank, and it never asks for card details: you write down what you spend. That actually helps, because noting the 50 DA coffee is what makes you notice it. If you borrow from a friend while waiting for the grant, the debts guide shows how to track what you owe and each repayment. For the full method, see how to plan a monthly budget . Jibi works on the web, on iPhone and on Android.