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Compare Student Cities in Jordan
Every university city compared on the factors that actually determine a student's experience: cost of living, housing, transport, Arabic exposure and student life.
In short
Amman and Irbid dominate numerically — together they hold the overwhelming majority of universities and almost all Arabic language centres. Amman offers the widest choice, the largest international community and the highest costs. Irbid is student-dominated, materially cheaper and harder to avoid using Arabic in daily life. Zarqa, Madaba and Salt sit close to Amman or Irbid and trade choice for lower costs. Karak, Mafraq, Ma'an and Tafila are smaller university cities with university housing more central to the student experience.
Criteria used on this page
No institution is described here as universally "the best". Each list states the criteria behind it, and the right choice depends on the student's objective. Criteria applied:
- Cost of living — The single largest difference between cities, and mostly rent.
- Housing market — Depth of private rental versus reliance on university accommodation.
- Transport — Whether you can walk, and what a commute costs in time and fare.
- Arabic exposure — How much English surrounds you in daily life.
- Institutional choice — How many institutions and how many subject areas are available locally.
- Services and culture — Healthcare, banking, cultural life and international community.
Where the university cities are
Every city with institutions in this directory, plotted from the coordinates held in the portal database. The overview below shows the spread across the country; the smaller maps place each city individually so you can see how it sits relative to the capital and the northern and southern hubs.
City by city
Amman 18 uni · 8 Arabic
Irbid 4 uni · 2 Arabic
Zarqa 2 uni · 0 Arabic
Aqaba 2 uni · 0 Arabic
Madaba 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Salt 2 uni · 0 Arabic
Karak 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Mafraq 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Tafila 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Ma'an 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Jerash 1 uni · 0 Arabic
Institutional depth by city
These charts count the institutions this portal has verified and holds records for, not every institution in the country. They show where choice is concentrated — which is the practical question behind "which city should I study in?" — and they are generated from the same database as the directory, so they update with it.
Universities per city
Arabic centres per city
Schools recorded per city
City comparison
| City | Universities | Arabic centres | Cost of living | Housing | Transport | Student life |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amman | 18 | 8 | The most expensive Jordanian city for a student, notably for rent and transport. Budget significantly higher than Irbid, Karak, Mafraq or Tafila. | Student accommodation concentrates in the university districts — Al-Jubeiha and west Amman around the University of Jord | Amman has an extensive but sometimes slow public minibus and bus network, an expanding BRT corridor, and widely used rid | Excellent cultural infrastructure — museums, galleries, cafés, restaurants and a large international and diplomatic comm |
| Irbid | 4 | 2 | Substantially lower than Amman for rent, food and transport — one of the main reasons students choose Irbid. | Cheaper than Amman by a wide margin, with a deep private rental market oriented to students. University housing is also | The city is compact and walkable in its central student districts; the JUST campus at Ar-Ramtha is further out and norma | Dense student social life, cafés and affordable food, with a strong local culture. Ajloun, Umm Qais, Jerash and the nort |
| Zarqa | 2 | 0 | Moderate — lower than Amman, higher than Irbid in some categories. | Cheaper than Amman, with commuter housing options and the possibility of living between Zarqa and Amman. | Well connected to Amman by road and rail-adjacent corridors; many students commute. | More limited cultural amenities than Amman, but the capital is close for evenings and weekends. |
| Aqaba | 2 | 0 | Moderate to high for rent in tourist-adjacent areas, but lower than central Amman in many residential districts. | Private rental is the norm; Aqaba's tourism economy affects seasonal prices in some areas. | Compact and relatively easy to navigate; long-distance travel to Amman takes several hours by road. | Red Sea diving and marine environment, beaches, and a resort-oriented economy. Much further from the northern heritage s |
| Madaba | 1 | 0 | Lower than Amman; reasonable for students who want proximity without capital-city rent. | Small-town rental market; many students commute from Amman. | Short drive from Amman and the airport; manageable commute. | Heritage-focused — mosaic heritage, Mount Nebo, and the Dead Sea within reach. |
| Salt | 2 | 0 | Low. | Inexpensive rental market; some students commute from Amman. | Connected to Amman by a mountainous road; commute times vary considerably. | Quiet heritage-town environment with a historic centre; Amman is within commuting distance. |
| Karak | 1 | 0 | Low — one of the most affordable settings in the country. | Inexpensive; university housing plus low-cost private rental. | Reachable from Amman by the Desert Highway; local transport is limited. | Quiet and traditional, with the Dead Sea and Petra within reach. |
| Ajloun | 0 | 0 | Low. | Small local market; students often base in Irbid or commute. | Close to Irbid and Jerash; public transport is limited in the rural districts. | Outstanding natural environment — forest reserves and the Ajloun Castle area are used for field and cultural visits. |
| Mafraq | 1 | 0 | Low to very low. | Inexpensive; university housing available. | On the main northern highway; long commute to Amman. | Quiet and rural; distant from the main urban centres. |
| Tafila | 1 | 0 | Low. | Inexpensive; university housing available. | Limited; long distance from the capital. | Remote and quiet, with exceptional natural surroundings at Dana. |
| Ma'an | 1 | 0 | Low. | Inexpensive; university housing available. | On the Desert Highway; Petra and Wadi Rum are within the governorate. | Heritage- and desert-focused, with world-class archaeological and natural sites on the doorstep. |
| Jerash | 1 | 0 | Low. Smaller-city rents and daily costs, with Amman prices available an hour down the road if needed. | A small private rental market, mostly arranged locally rather than through online listings. Students studying in Amman o | Buses and shared taxis to Amman and Irbid, along the Amman–Irbid corridor. A car is useful; walking works inside the cen | Quiet by Amman standards. The archaeological site dominates the city’s identity, and the wider student scene is limited |
How to use this table
Read the cost and housing columns first, because they constrain everything else, then the Arabic exposure question, because it determines whether the year delivers what you intended. Institutional choice matters most if you have not yet settled on a field or if you may change programme.
Tuition and fees
City choice affects living costs, not tuition: fees are set by each institution and programme and are compared separately in the tuition and fees matrix.
Related
- City guides in full
- Compare universities
- Compare Arabic programmes
- Student accommodation
- Tuition & fees matrix
Sources & verification
Priority order: official Jordanian government authorities → official institution websites → accreditation organisations → official ranking organisations → Visit Jordan → other reliable sources. Claims that could not be verified from these are marked as unverified rather than presented as fact.
- Study in Jordan (national higher-education portal) https://studyinjordan.jo/
- Visit Jordan — learning experiences https://edutravel.visitjordan.com/en/