Algerian Bac

Overview

The Baccalauréat, usually called the "bac," is Algeria's national secondary-school-leaving exam and the gateway to university. It is organised by the Ministry of National Education through the Office National des Examens et Concours (ONEC), with university placement afterwards handled by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS). Students sit the bac at the end of Terminale, the final year of secondary school, typically around age 18.

Who can apply

Two groups of candidates can take the exam:

• School-enrolled candidates (candidats scolarisés): registered by their own secondary school (lycée) as part of their normal Terminale year.

• Independent candidates (candidats libres): register themselves directly, including people retaking the exam to improve their average or change stream.

For the 2026 session, 876,171 candidates were registered in total: about 588,000 school-enrolled and roughly 287,600 independent candidates.

Exam pattern

Candidates choose a stream (filière) in secondary school, and the bac exam subjects and their weighting (coefficient) depend on that stream. The main streams are:

The exam itself is written only, with no oral component, and runs over about five days in June, with two or three subject papers scheduled each day across morning and afternoon sessions. Every subject in a stream carries its own coefficient, and the subjects most central to that stream (for example mathematics and physics in the Mathématiques stream) carry the highest coefficients.

A strict elimination rule applies regardless of the overall average: a candidate who scores zero in any subject considered "essential" to their stream, or whose weighted average across those essential subjects falls below 5 out of 20, is not admitted even if their general weighted average reaches 10/20 or higher.

Marking and results

Each subject is marked out of 20, and the overall result is a weighted average (using each subject's coefficient) also out of 20. The pass mark is 10/20 on this weighted average, subject to the essential-subject elimination rule above.

For the 2026 session, the national pass rate was 56.18%. Among independent candidates specifically, about 97,000 of 287,612 passed, a rate of 43.31%.

Results can be checked through the official ONEC portal (bac.onec.dz), by SMS, or through the Ministry's parents' portal (Espace Parents / awlyaa.education.dz).

Important dates

For the 2026 session:

• Online registration: 21 November 2025 to 21 December 2025, on bac.onec.dz.

• Written exams: 7 to 11 June 2026 (five days).

• Results announced: 12 July 2026.

Fees

For the 2026 session, registration fees (paid online, by card, for independent candidates) were:

• 1,500 DA for school-enrolled candidates.

• 3,000 DA for independent candidates.

• 5,000 DA for independent candidates who already hold a bac and are retaking the exam.

How to apply

School-enrolled candidates are registered for the bac by their own secondary school as part of normal Terminale enrolment; no separate action is needed from the student beyond what the school asks for.

Independent candidates register themselves online on bac.onec.dz during the registration window, choose their stream, and pay the applicable fee online.

After the exam

A bac pass is the entry requirement for Algerian universities. New bac holders pre-register for higher education online (on orientation-esi.dz or mesrs.dz) and rank their preferred specialties, choosing between six and ten choices in order of preference. They then complete registration on the Ministry of Higher Education's platform, progres.mesrs.dz/webetu.

Placement into a specialty depends mainly on the candidate's weighted average for that specialty (which gives extra weight to subjects relevant to it) measured against each specialty's minimum required average; if that weighted average falls short, the candidate's plain bac average is used instead, provided it still clears the specialty's minimum. The candidate's ranked preferences, and the number of seats available at each institution and location, are also taken into account.

Preparation tips

• Focus revision on the subjects essential to your stream first: they carry the highest coefficients and a very low score in them can disqualify you even if your overall average would otherwise pass.

• Practise under real exam conditions, since the bac is written-only and spread across several long exam days with no continuous-assessment cushion from the school year.

• Register within the published window on bac.onec.dz (for independent candidates) or confirm your details with your school early, since late registration is not accepted.