Entrance Examinations for Initial Training

Admission to all initial training programmes at ISSEA is exclusively through competitive entrance examinations. These examinations cover the AS (Statistical Analyst), ISE (Statistical Economist Engineer) and TSS (Senior Statistics Technician) programmes. Please note that the IAS (Applied Statistics Engineer) programme has been closed since 2023, following the curriculum reform undertaken within the Network of African Statistics Schools (RESA).

Joint ISE and AS Examinations

The entrance examinations for the ISE and AS programmes are jointly organised by the four African statistics schools: ISSEA in Yaoundé, ENSEA in Abidjan, ENSAE in Dakar, and ENEAM in Cotonou. Since 2005, their organisation has been overseen by CAPESA (Centre d'Appui aux Écoles de Statistique Africaines — Support Centre for African Statistics Schools), a body affiliated with GENES in France.

These examinations attract more than 2,000 candidates each year, drawn from approximately twenty countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Around 150 successful candidates are admitted annually across the four institutions. Examination centres are open in virtually all participating countries.

ISSEA offers approximately 30 places per programme (AS and ISE), for a combined total of 60 places across both programmes.

TSS Examination

The entrance examination for the TSS programme is organised directly by ISSEA. It is open to candidates residing primarily in CEMAC member countries, with examination centres operating simultaneously in each of them. Approximately 600 candidates sit this examination each session. The number of places offered per intake is approximately 30.

Calendar and Results

Admission panels are generally held between June and July for the ISE and AS programmes, and in September for the TSS programme. Examination results are published on the ISSEA website as soon as they become available.