Baccalaureate (Senegal)Bac Sénégal

Overview

The Baccalauréat (the "Bac") is Senegal's national secondary-school-leaving and university-entrance examination, taken at the end of Terminale, the final year of the lycée. It is organised by the Office du Baccalauréat, under the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale, with results and higher-education orientation afterwards coordinated with the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation (MESRI). As with other Baccalauréats across French-speaking West Africa, candidates choose a series (filière) in secondary school, sit written and some oral papers weighted by subject coefficients, and the combined mark decides outright admission, a second-round makeup exam, or non-admission for that session.

Who can apply

Two groups of candidates sit the Bac:

• School-enrolled candidates: registered by their own lycée as part of their normal Terminale year, after completing Seconde and Première.

• Independent candidates (candidats libres): register themselves directly with the Office du Baccalauréat. They must already hold the BFEM (Brevet de Fin d'Études Moyennes) from an earlier year, or have already sat the Bac at least once before, and must not be under any exam-registration ban for that session.

For the 2026 session, around 170,000 candidates sat the Bac nationwide.

Exam pattern

Candidates choose one series, each with its own subjects and coefficients. The main series are:

Each subject carries a coefficient that reflects its weight in the series. For example, in S1 mathematics and physical sciences each carry a coefficient of 8, well above French (3), philosophy (2) or history-geography (2); in L1a, French and philosophy each carry a coefficient of 6, ahead of the classical-language option. The exam has written papers for every candidate, plus an EPS (Physical and Sports Education) component held earlier in the year ahead of the main written papers; some series also carry oral papers in languages.

Marking and results

Every subject is marked out of 20 and weighted by its coefficient; the overall result is a weighted average, also out of 20. A weighted average of at least 10/20 after the first round of marking leads to outright admission ("admis d'office"). Candidates with a weighted average between roughly 8/20 and 10/20 are called to a second-round oral catch-up exam about a week after first-round results; candidates below that band are not admitted that session.

Admitted candidates receive a mention based on their final average: Passable (10 to under 12/20), Assez Bien (12 to under 14/20), Bien (14 to under 16/20), and Très Bien (16/20 and above); exceptional results can also earn the jury's congratulations.

For the 2026 session, out of around 170,000 candidates, about 45,600 were admitted outright at the first round (a provisional first-round rate of roughly 26%) and over 55,000 were called to the second round.

Important dates

For the 2026 session:

• Registration: 10 November 2025 to 11 January 2026, on the Office du Baccalauréat's platform.

• EPS (Physical and Sports Education) papers: held in May 2026, ahead of the main written papers.

• Baccalauréat Technique written papers: from 15 June 2026.

• Baccalauréat Général written papers: from 30 June 2026.

• First-round results: typically released two to three weeks after the written papers end, with the second-round makeup exam about a week after that; the session closes by 31 July 2026 at the latest.

Exact dates move slightly each year — check the Office du Baccalauréat's published calendar for the current session rather than relying on a previous year's dates.

Fees

For the 2026 session, independent candidates (candidats libres) paid a total of 5,300 FCFA — a 5,000 FCFA registration fee plus a 300 FCFA Office du Baccalauréat sticker — with an additional 500 FCFA for each extra optional subject. Payment for independent candidates is made to the Office du Baccalauréat in Dakar or to the regional Centres Régionaux d'Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle (CROSP) elsewhere in the country. School-enrolled candidates are registered as part of their school's own enrolment process.

How to apply

School-enrolled candidates are registered for the Bac by their own lycée 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 the Office du Baccalauréat's platform during the registration window, providing an email address and phone number, choosing their series, and paying the applicable fee at the Office du Baccalauréat in Dakar or at their regional CROSP.

After the exam

A Bac pass is the entry requirement for Senegalese public universities. New bacheliers apply for higher-education placement online through Campusen (orientation.campusen.sn), the MESRI platform that manages orientation toward Senegal's public universities and Instituts Supérieurs d'Enseignement Professionnel (ISEP). The platform typically opens in mid-August, after results are confirmed; candidates create an account using their Bac exam number, complete their profile, and submit ranked choices of institution and field of study among the public universities and ISEPs. Registration on Campusen is free and is required for access to public higher-education institutions.

Preparation tips

• Focus revision on your series' higher-coefficient subjects first — in S1, for example, mathematics and physical sciences outweigh every other subject, so a weak mark there is hard to offset elsewhere.

• Check the Office du Baccalauréat's calendar for the current year rather than a previous session's dates, since EPS, written and second-round windows can shift.

• If your first-round average lands in the second-round band, prepare specifically for the oral catch-up papers rather than treating the result as final.

• Independent candidates should confirm their BFEM record and registration eligibility with the Office du Baccalauréat or their regional CROSP well before the registration window closes.

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