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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Alger Emerging Markets Fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

Alger Emerging Markets Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading FUND FEES AND EXPENSES
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Class A Shares of the Alger Family of Funds, including the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in "Purchasing and Redeeming Fund Shares" beginning on page A-2 of the Fund's Prospectus and the sections "Right of Accumulation (Class (A) Shares)" and "Letter of Intent (Class A Shares)" on page 28 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination 2014-02-28
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the examples, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 150.09% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 150.09%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading EXAMPLE
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The following examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples assume that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same.
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions you would pay the following expenses if you redeemed your shares at the end of each period:
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption You would pay the following if you did not redeem your shares:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

Fred Alger Management, Inc. believes companies undergoing Positive Dynamic Change offer the best investment opportunities. Positive Dynamic Change refers to companies realizing High Unit Volume Growth or companies undergoing Positive Lifecycle Change. High Unit Volume Growth companies are traditional growth companies experiencing, for example, significantly growing demand or market dominance. Positive Lifecycle Change companies are, for example, companies benefitting from regulatory change, a new product introduction or management change.


Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities, including common stocks, American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, of emerging country issuers. Fred Alger Management, Inc. may consider classifications including those of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, or the United Nations (and its agencies) in determining whether a country is an emerging country. Currently, most Central and South American, African, Asian and Eastern European nations are considered emerging countries, among others.


For purposes of the Fund's investment strategies, an emerging country issuer is a company (i) that is organized under the laws of, or has a principal office in, an emerging country; (ii) whose principal trading market is in an emerging country; or (iii) that has a majority of its assets, or that derives a significant portion of its revenue or profits from businesses, investments or sales, in one or more emerging countries. An emerging country issuer may also include an exchange-traded fund that is principally invested in equity securities of emerging country issuers.


The Fund generally invests in at least three emerging countries, and, at times, may invest a substantial portion of its assets in a single emerging country. The Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization, from larger, well-established companies to small, emerging growth companies.


Fred Alger Management, Inc. seeks investment opportunities in companies with fundamental strengths that indicate the potential for sustainable growth. Fred Alger Management, Inc. focuses on individual stock selection, building the Fund's portfolio from the bottom up through extensive fundamental research. In addition to using fundamental research, Fred Alger Management, Inc. employs a "quantitative" investment approach to selecting investments. A quantitative investment approach relies on financial models and computer databases to assist in the stock selection process. Proprietary computer models are capable of rapidly ranking a large universe of eligible investments using an array of traditional factors applied in financial analysis, such as cash flow, earnings growth, and price to earnings ratios, as well as other non-traditional factors.


The Fund can leverage, that is borrow money to purchase additional securities. By borrowing money, the Fund has the potential to increase its returns if the increase in the value of the securities purchased exceeds the cost of borrowing, including interest paid on the money borrowed.


The Fund can also invest in derivative instruments. The Fund currently expects that its primary use of derivatives will involve entering into forward currency contracts to hedge the Fund's foreign currency exposure when it holds, or proposes to hold, non-U.S. dollar denominated securities.

Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading PRINCIPAL RISKS
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing. The Fund's price per share will fluctuate due to changes in the market prices of its investments. Also, the Fund's investments may not grow as fast as the rate of inflation and stocks tend to be more volatile than some other investments you could make, such as bonds.


Prices of growth stocks tend to be higher in relation to their companies' earnings and may be more sensitive to market, political and economic developments than other stocks, making their prices more volatile. An investment in the Fund may be better suited to investors who seek long-term capital growth and can tolerate fluctuations in their investment's value.


The Fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in emerging country issuers. Special risks associated with investments in emerging country issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political instability and differing auditing and legal standards. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets can be more volatile, and less liquid, than those of issuers in more mature economies.


The Fund may invest heavily in issuers located in emerging countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, and therefore may be particularly exposed to the economies, industries, securities and currency markets of such countries, which may be adversely affected by protectionist trade policies, a slow U.S. economy, political and social instability, regional and global conflicts, terrorism and war, including actions that are contrary to the interests of the U.S.


A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund's performance. Forward currency contracts are subject to currency exchange rate risks and the risk of non-performance by the contract counterparty.


The following risks also apply:


•  investing in companies of all capitalizations involves the risk that smaller issuers in which the Fund invests may have limited product lines or financial resources, or lack management depth.


•  the cost of borrowing money to leverage may exceed the returns for the securities purchased or the securities purchased may actually go down in value; thus, the Fund's net asset value could decrease more quickly than if it had not borrowed.


•  it may be difficult or impossible to liquidate a security position at a time and price acceptable to the Fund owing to the potentially less frequent trading of stocks of smaller market capitalization.


An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with any fund that invests in stocks, your investment will fluctuate in value, and the loss of your investment is a risk of investing.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading PERFORMANCE
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and the table beneath it provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the indicated periods compare with those of an appropriate benchmark of market performance. Performance in the bar chart does not reflect the effect of the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A Shares of the Fund. If the bar chart reflected the applicable sales charges, returns would be less than those shown. Remember that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website www.alger.com.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and the table beneath it provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the indicated periods compare with those of an appropriate benchmark of market performance.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.alger.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Remember that the Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how it will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN FOR CLASS A SHARES as of December 31 (%)
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Performance in the bar chart does not reflect the effect of the sales charge imposed on purchases of Class A Shares of the Fund. If the bar chart reflected the applicable sales charges, returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

Best Quarter:


Q1 2012     13.32%



Worst Quarter:


Q3 2011     -24.57%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter:
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2012
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 13.32%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter:
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (24.57%)
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate In the foregoing table, after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for Class C Shares, which are not shown, will vary from those shown for Class A Shares.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher A "return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares" may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens where there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock

In the foregoing table, after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown may not be relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns for Class C Shares, which are not shown, will vary from those shown for Class A Shares. A "return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares" may sometimes be higher than the other two return figures; this happens where there is a capital loss on redemptions, giving rise to a tax benefit to the shareholder.

Caption rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2012
MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.63%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 (0.85%)
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 29, 2010
Alger Emerging Markets Fund Class A
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a % of offering price rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [1]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.10%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 3.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 4.43%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (2.73%) [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.70%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock Purchases of $1 million of Class A Shares at net asset value may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% on redemptions made within 12 months of purchase.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in Class A Shares of the Alger Family of Funds, including the Fund.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 25,000
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 689
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,561
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 2,443
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 4,693
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 689
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 1,561
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 2,443
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 4,693
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (23.71%)
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 20.11%
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.86%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 (6.60%)
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 29, 2010
Alger Emerging Markets Fund Class A | After Taxes on Distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.17%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 (6.88%)
Alger Emerging Markets Fund Class A | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 9.00%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 (5.74%)
Alger Emerging Markets Fund Class C
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases as a % of offering price rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) as a % of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption (2.00%)
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.10%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 3.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 5.61%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (3.16%) [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.45%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 348
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,392
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 2,521
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 5,286
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 248
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 1,392
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 2,521
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 5,286
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.20%
Average Annual Returns, 10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 (4.99%)
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 29, 2010
[1] Purchases of $1 million of Class A Shares at net asset value may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% on redemptions made within 12 months of purchase.
[2] Fred Alger Management, Inc. has contractually agreed to reimburse Fund expenses (excluding interest, taxes, brokerage, and extraordinary expenses) through February 28, 2014 to the extent necessary to limit the total annual fund operating expenses of the Fund's Class A Shares to 1.70% and the Class C Shares to 2.45% of the class's average daily net assets. This expense reimbursement cannot be terminated.