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Lebanese American University

الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية
Former names	American Junior College for Women Beirut College for Women Beirut University College
Motto	To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield
Type	Private university
Established	1924; 100 years ago (1924) (post-secondary junior college)
Endowment	$533.7 million (2020) $706.7 million (2024)
President	Chaouki Abdallah
Provost	George Nasr
Administrative staff	318 full-time and 526 part-time faculty; 637 full-time and 188 part-time staff (fall 2017)
Students	9,084 (7,809 undergraduate, 1000 graduate, 275 doctoral-professional) (fall 2024)
Location	Lebanon
Campus	Beirut
Language	English
Other campuses	Byblos New York
Colours	Green • White
Website	www.lau.edu.lb

The Lebanese American University (LAU; Arabic: الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية) is a secular private American university with campuses in Beirut, Byblos, and New York. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New York and is recognized by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). It offers 34 bachelor's degree programs and 26 master's degree programs in addition to Pharm.D. and M.D. degrees.

Campuses

LAU has two main campuses, one located in Beirut and another located in the city of Byblos, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Beirut. LAU also has a small branch campus in New York, NY.

The Byblos campus, inaugurated in 1987, hosts the nursing, medicine, engineering, and pharmacy programs, while most of the other programs are offered in both campuses. LAU's Beirut and Byblos campuses are respectively 2.75 hectares (6.8 acres) and 31.76 hectares (78.5 acres).

LAU also operates two teaching hospitals in Lebanon. The LAU Medical Center-Rizk Hospital (LAUMC-RH), acquired in 2009 and located in Ashrafieh, Beirut, houses the only comprehensive stroke center in Lebanon. LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital, located in Jounieh, was inaugurated in 2021 and serves the Jounieh–Byblos area.

In March 2024, the university’s New York academic center was converted into a degree-granting campus.

Accreditations, affiliations, and charters

The Lebanese American University is chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Some of its programs are also accredited:

Schools

LAU has seven schools divided into several departments.

• School of Arts and Sciences
• School of Architecture and Design
• Adnan Kassar School of Business
• School of Engineering
• Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine
• Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing
• School of Pharmacy

Rankings

The university was ranked #251–300 in the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 Rankings, tying it as the 5th highest ranked university in the Arab World. It was also ranked #12 in the THE Arab University Rankings 2024. LAU received a score of 91.4 in the research quality indicator. Its business and economics programs were also ranked within the #251–300 range.

In the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), LAU was placed in the #501–600 bracket globally and 8th in the Arab World. The university’s finance program was ranked #151–200, while both business administration and economics were placed in the #301–400 bracket. Additionally, the university was ranked #101–150 in telecommunications engineering; #201–300 in both electrical/electronic engineering and energy science/engineering; and #101–150 in transportation science and technology.

The university was ranked #601–800 in the “clinical and health” category and #301-400 in social sciences in the THE World University Rankings by Subject. It was ranked #401–450 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject for electrical engineering and #351-400 for business. According to U.S. News & World Report, the university’s engineering program was ranked 585th globally.

Student life

Play Productions

The university has three theaters: the Gulbenkian Theater and the Irwin Hall in Beirut, and Selina Korban in Byblos. Student productions are required of certain majors and are presented throughout the academic year. The university also offers two major productions, one in the fall and one in the spring, and an annual international theater festival that attracts groups from other Middle Eastern universities.

Varsity Sports

Basketball, football, handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, and rugby teams participate in various local, regional and international collegiate tournaments.

Student Governance

Students can participate in the decision-making process by voting and running in elections for the Campus Student Councils and the University Student Council, as well as the Graduate Student Committees.

Libraries

LAU has one library in Beirut (Riyad Nassar Library) and two in Byblos (Joseph G. Jabbra Library and Health Sciences library). The New York campus also has its own library.

The Riyad Nassar Library in Beirut has 419,010 print books and 725,850 e-books. It also hosts special collections related to women’s studies, education, Islamic art, and architecture, as well as children’s books.

The Joseph G. Jabbra Library in Byblos, inaugurated in November 2018, is home to thousands of books and records and houses study rooms and library equipment.

The Arab Institute for Women (AiW)

In 1973, LAU established the Arab Institute for Women (AiW), previously known as the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW), with a mission to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality in, and for, the Arab world. The institute works on five key areas: education, research, development projects, outreach, and LAU engagement.

Alumni

Alumni chapters

LAU has over 54,000 alumni and 44 chapters around the world.

Notable alumni

• Wael Arakji, basketball player
• Fatima Sharafeddine, children’s books author
• Rola Bahnam, architect and TV presenter
• Rima Karaki, TV journalist and presenter
• Toufic Kreidieh, founding partner and CEO of Brands for Less
• Anissa Rawda Najjar, Lebanese feminist and women’s right activist
• Nur Salman, academic, activist and author
• Tania Saleh, Lebanese singer-songwriter and visual artist
• Lina Khoury, director
• Wijdan Ali, art historian, educator, author, diplomat
• Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
• Alain Hakim, former Lebanese minister of economy and trade
• Mario Bassil, actor
• Lamis Mustafa Alami, Minister of Education in the Palestinian Authority
• Saloua Raouda Choucair, Lebanese painter and sculptor
• Sethrida Geagea, member of the Lebanese Parliament
• Rose Ghurayeb, Lebanese writer and professor of Arabic literature
• Saniya Habboub, first Lebanese woman to study medicine abroad
• Mona Hatoum, British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist
• Toufic Jaber, Lebanon ambassador to Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Kosovo
• Ricardo Karam, Lebanese television presenter and producer
• Zaven Kouyoumdjian, Lebanese talk show host, television personality, media consultant, and author
• Rima Maktabi, TV journalist and presenter
• Emily Nasrallah, Lebanese novelist
• Salwa Nassar, nuclear physicist
• Octavia Nasr, journalist
• Nadine Wilson Njeim, Miss Lebanon 2007, actress, and TV presenter
• Selim El Sayegh, former Lebanese minister of social affairs
• Mounira Solh, founder of Al Amal Institute for the Disabled and one of the first Lebanese women running for parliament
• Vick Vanlian, founder of interior design company Vick Vanlian / V World SAL

References

1. "History". LAU. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
2. As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
3. ^ "Facts – About LAU – Faculty and Staff" (PDF). Retrieved August 15, 2023.
4. "LAU Endowment". Official LAU website. Copyright 2019, Lebanon. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
5. Accreditation. LAU website 2019.
6. "Degrees Conferred" (PDF), LAU Fact Book 2023–2024, Beirut: Lebanese American University: 53–57, November 29, 2024
7. Plackett, Benjamin (June 23, 2016). "Lebanese American University's Unique Perch in New York". Al-Fanar Media. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
8. "General Information" (PDF), LAU Fact Book 2023–2024, Beirut: Lebanese American University: 9, November 29, 2024
9. https://news.lau.edu.lb/2024/lau-new-york-becomes-a-degree-granting-campus.php
10. "Accreditation | About LAU". www.lau.edu.lb. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
11. ^ "Accredited Programs".
12. "CCNE-Accredited Programs". American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
13. ^ "Lebanese American University". Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
14. "Accredited Programs". Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
15. "Program Directory". Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
16. "Accreditation Services for Outside of Turkey". Association for Evaluation and Accreditation of Medical Education Programs. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
17. ^ "Accredited Institutions Search". National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
18. "NAAB-Accredited Architecture Programs in the United States, Revised September 2024" (PDF). National Architectural Accrediting Board. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
19. "Study at LAU |". www.lau.edu.lb. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
20. "LAU School of Arts and Sciences". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
21. "LAU School of Architecture and Design". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
22. "LAU Adnan Kassar School of Business". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
23. "LAU School of Engineering". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
24. "LAU Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
25. "LAU Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
26. "LAU School of Pharmacy". Retrieved December 15, 2024.
27. "ARWU World University Rankings 2024". Shanghairanking.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
28. "QS World University Rankings 2025".
29. "World University Rankings 2025".
30. "2024–2025 Best Global Universities Rankings".
31. "ARWU World University Rankings 2024". Shanghairanking.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
32. "QS World University Rankings 2025".
33. "World University Rankings 2025".
34. "Best Global Universities in Lebanon (2024–25)".
35. "Communication, Arts & Languages | The LAU School of Arts and Sciences". LAU School of Arts and Sciences Website.
36. "LAU - Student life - Athletics". Retrieved August 15, 2023.
37. "LAU - Student life - Student Councils 2015-2016". Retrieved August 15, 2023.
38. "Quick Facts and Figures". LAU.
39. "About | The Arab Institute for Women | LAU". The Arab Institute for Women.
40. "Chapters". Alumni. Lebanese American University. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
41. "Saloua Raouda Choucair: A 70-year career retrospective | LAU News". October 25, 2011.
42. "Editorial. Art, Science and Women" (PDF). iwsawassets.lau.edu.lb. p. 2. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
43. "LAU hosts first annual NGO fair | LAU News". June 3, 2010.

See also

• List of American universities and colleges outside the United States

External links

• Official website

• Lebanese American University
• 1924 establishments in Mandatory Syria
• Universities in Lebanon
• Former women's universities and colleges
• Universities and colleges established in 1924