History
Lebanese American University was founded as a college for women in 1924 but can be traced back to the 1830s, when the first school for girls in the Ottoman empire opened by Presbyterian missionaries.
The University has evolved tremendously and emerged as the most innovative and progressive university in Lebanon. It is tied for #1 position in the country by THE World University Rankings (2024).
University Ranking
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2025
251 250
2024
501
2023
501
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2025
701 -40
2024
661 -60
2023
601
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2024
501
2023
-
2022
-
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2025
-
2024
761
2023
-
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Student clubs
The Outreach and Civic Engagement (OCE) at LAU integrates civic engagement with the extra-curricular activities of LAU students and encourages them to broaden their horizons both within and outside Lebanon through leadership training, skills development, and volunteering opportunities.
Accreditation
Lebanese American University operates under a charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Their 100% online programs have received board approval from the New York State Education Department, meaning that the course curriculum meets the academic criteria of other US Universities.