The Lebanese University (LU; ) is the only state-funded

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

. It was established in 1951. The university's main campus was originally located in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, but a few satellite campuses were opened due to travel restrictions during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

. It has three main campuses: Rafic Hariri Campus, Fanar Campus and North Campus. The Roumieh campus, which features a faculty of engineering, is one of the satellite campuses. The university currently enrolls thousands of students and is organized into 16 faculties. It offers a range of degree programs, include undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. The primary language of instruction is

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

History

The creation of the Lebanese University was an idea first mentioned in the speech of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Hamid Frangieh Hamid Frangieh (6 August 1907 – 5 September 1981) was a Lebanese member of the Parliament of Lebanon and held numerous ministerial positions in the Lebanese government. He was one of the Maronite leaders of Lebanon. Early life Hamid was b ...

, during the closing ceremony of the Third UNESCO Conference in

held on 11 December 1948, during which he said: "Lebanon hopes to see the creation of a Lebanese university having the spirit of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

." The establishment of the Lebanese University came as a result of a popular and student mobilization initiated on 23 January 1951 with a general strike that lasted for a long period during which, secondary and university students, mostly from

Saint Joseph University Saint Joseph University of Beirut (; French: ''Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth'', commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Go ...

participated. The movement included demonstrations and clashes with security forces that lead the Council of Ministers to meet on 5 February of the same year.

University presidents

Since its inception, the Lebanese University has been headed by: and it has been headed by Bassam Badran since 2021.

Faculties and campuses

The university issued successive decrees since its inception, establishing faculties and institutes, which contributed to its expansion and development until reaching 16 faculties: In addition to three Doctoral Schools: The university is also affiliated with the Institute of Applied Sciences and Economics (CNAM-ISAE), which operates in cooperation with CNAM in France.

Honorary doctorates

The university awarded honorary doctorates to a number of heads of state and officials, including in chronological order: In 2009, the Lebanese University started awarding honorary doctorates to Lebanese personalities.

Mission

The Lebanese University is the only public institution in Lebanon carrying out the functions of the public higher education with its various majors and degrees, scientific research, and continuous training.

Rankings and reputation

In the 2024

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

, the Lebanese University ranks 577 worldwide, a record-high after being placed 701–750 in 2021.

Notable alumni

* Doumouh Al Bakkar (born 1990), football referee *

Nabih Berri Nabih Mustafa Berri ( ; born 28 January 1938) is a Lebanese politician who has been serving as Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon since 1992. He heads the Amal Movement and its parliamentary wing, Development and Liberation Bloc. Early lif ...

, politician * Jean Daoud, poet, playwright, philosopher * Houssam Diab Lebanese lawyer and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the

Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

* Hisham Zayn Al-Din, theater director and playwright * Elissa (singer), singer and artist * Jawad Fares, physician and scientist *

Antoine Ghanem Antoine Ghanem (; 10 August 1943 – 19 September 2007) was a Lebanese politician and an Member of Parliament, MP in the Lebanese Parliament. He was also a member of the Kataeb party and the March 14 Coalition. He was murdered on 19 Septembe ...

, Lebanese politician * Marcel Ghanem, journalist * Rana Hamadeh, artist * Renée Hayek, writer and novelist *

Adnan Hussein Adnan Hussein (born 27 February 1954) is a Lebanese political scientist, academic and politician who served as minister of state for social affairs in the Lebanese government of November 2009, cabinet led by Prime Minister of Lebanon, Prime Minis ...

, political scientist * Inaya Jaber (1958–2021), writer * Omar Karami, former prime minister of Lebanon * Ibrahim Mousawi (born 1965), journalist and

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

spokesman * Ahmed Nasri, president of Fahd bin Sultan University * Vartine Ohanian, Lebanese politician and Minister of Youth and Sports * Ghada Owais, journalist * Naim Qassem (born 1953), cleric and Hezbollah deputy secretary-general *

Mohammad Raad Mohammad Raad (; born 22 August 1955) is a Lebanon, Lebanese politician of the Lebanese Shia Muslims, Lebanese Shia Shia Islamism, Islamist political party and militia Hezbollah, who serves as member of parliament representing the Nabatiyeh Dist ...

(born 1955), Hezbollah politician *

Majida El Roumi Majida El Roumi Baradhy (; born 13 December 1956) is a Lebanese-Egyptian soprano singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. Early life Majida El Roumi Al Baradhy was born on 13 December 1956 in Kfarshima. Her father, Halim El Roumi, ...

, Lebanese-Egyptian singer * Najat A. Saliba, chemist and politician *

Michel Suleiman Michel Suleiman ( ; born 21 November 1948) is a Lebanese politician who served as the 12th president of Lebanon from 2008 to 2014. Before becoming president, he served as commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces from 1998 to 2008. After Lebanese A ...

, 11th president of Lebanon * Serge Venturini (1979–1981), French poet * Mohamed Ali Yousfi, Tunisian writer and translator * Abdallah Al Amin, Lebanese politician and former leader of the Ba’ath party in Lebanon

References

External links

الموقع الرسمي

Site officiel

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebanese University Art schools in Lebanon Education in Beirut Universities in Lebanon 1951 establishments in Lebanon Universities and colleges established in 1951