More than 95 years of service
LAU was founded as a college for women in 1924, tracing its origins back to the first school for girls in the Ottoman empire started by Presbyterian missionaries in the 1830s. The institution has grown and changed tremendously through the decades, but the enterprising and progressive spirit of those who started it endures.
American higher education standards
LAU is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit higher education institution through the New York State Education Department. All of LAU’s academic programs are reviewed and approved by this body. In addition, LAU is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE). Several programs are also accredited by authoritative agencies in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
LAU in numbers
46,000+ alumni worldwide
78 nationalities in our student body
8,500+ students
7 schools
18 centers and institutes
400+ extracurricular activities, sports and clubs
$80 million allocated for scholarships and financial aid
65% of students benefit from one or more forms of financial aid
990 full-time faculty and staff
73 full-time clinical physicians
Photos: Sage Hall, the first building on the Beirut campus, dates back to 1933 (left); the School of Engineering’s laboratories building was completed in 2017 in Byblos (right).