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IB Diploma and University Admission in Albania: QSHA Recognition and Entry

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Albania has no special admission rules for the IB Diploma that we could find in official texts. An IB graduate is treated as a holder of a foreign upper secondary diploma: QSHA recognises the diploma, calculates the grade average, and each university then applies its own selection rules in the places reserved for foreign-diploma holders.

Step 1: QSHA recognition

Before applying, a foreign-diploma holder goes through recognition and equivalence at the Education Services Centre (QSHA), under Instruction No. 13 of 30 June 2023. QSHA's notice lists the documents:

Each needs an apostille or legalisation, a notarised copy and a translation into Albanian by a licensed translator in Albania. The service is free. For an IB student, the practical questions are which IB documents count as the diploma and as the Matura-equivalent exams. Neither the notice nor the rules we read name the IB, so ask QSHA in writing before you pay for translations, and keep its answer. For international schools, ask your IB coordinator which documents the school issues. See document recognition for Albania.

Step 2: the entry average

Council of Ministers Decision No. 436 of 3 June 2020, as amended, sets the minimum average for entry to first-cycle and integrated programmes. For people who finished school abroad, QSHA calculates the average, and where State Matura exams do not apply, a commission decides how. We found no official IB conversion table. How your IB grades become an Albanian average is therefore decided by QSHA for your file. Read the current minimum average on U-Albania.

Step 3: apply to the university

Foreign-diploma holders apply directly to universities, in programmes with quotas for this category, up to 10 programmes. Universities may add their own criteria. The University of Vlora, for example, asks for the diploma and grade list, the QSHA recognition document (or proof you applied), a passport valid for at least a year, and proof of language. UNYT's international page asks for a high-school GPA above 70% and Matura-equivalent national exams. Students whose IB results are strong can look at the scholarships in scholarships and student jobs in Albania: Epoka, for example, awards merit scholarships by high-school points or SAT results.

For English-taught programmes, universities set their own language proof, so ask whether your IB English grade is accepted. See bachelor's degrees in English in Albania and IB Diploma universities in continental Europe.

Timing

Start recognition early. A university can enrol you provisionally if QSHA has not finished, but the recognition documents must reach QSHA by 30 April of the academic year, and QSHA can ask the university to deregister students who do not meet the legal criteria. Read how to get into a university in Albania for the full steps.

Where to look next

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.