AUB branching to
Cyprus and Dubai

Main campus to remain in Beirut

The American University of Beirut (AUB) is planning to open a campus in Paphos (Cyprus) in the next two years, pending academic accreditation approval.

The project is part of the AUB’s regional expansion strategy that was approved more than two years ago.

The expansion will be financed by AUB’s own resources and by endowments from host countries and donors.

Other campuses are also being planned, one in Dubai, and a second one in another Arab country in the region.

The process for each location is moving at its own pace since each country has its own conditions for granting a university license such as the minimum number of faculties that must be opened.

The university is holding on the announcement until it receives all appropriate authorizations, after which exact timing and capacity will be determined.

AUB, which currently operates from a single campus, also plans to expand into Africa.

The main campus will remain in Beirut and its role will not be diminished by the new expansion. Denying rumors of a move earlier this year, AUB President Fadlo Khuri said: “Under my tenure as a president, there are no plans to relocate AUB and it is unlikely in the longer run. AUB has deep roots in Beirut and Lebanon formed over more than 154 years and we have endured many crises here, nothing will change our commitment to serve this country and its people.”

AUB never closed during the long years of the Civil War. In addition to its main campus on Bliss Street, it had run classes in auxiliary locations.