Keystone logo

AUB – Mediterraneo


About

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo in Pafos, Cyprus, a twin campus of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. The university encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to graduate men and women committed to creative and critical thinking, life-long learning, personal integrity, civic responsibility, and leadership.​ AUB operates under a charter granted by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) which registers the university's degree programs. All departments and programs at AUB Mediterraneo are accredited by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher Education (CYQAA).

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo in Pafos, Cyprus, a twin campus of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB bases its educational philosophy, standards, and practices on the American liberal arts model of higher education. The university encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to graduate men and women committed to creative and critical thinking, life-long learning, personal integrity, civic responsibility, and leadership.​

AUB operates under a charter granted by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) which registers the university's degree programs. All departments and programs at AUB Mediterraneo are accredited by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher Education (CYQAA).

To better serve the people of Lebanon, the region, and the Global South, the American University of Beirut (AUB) is becoming a more global, diverse, and inclusive university. The Global AUB vision, which was developed over three years with stakeholders across the institution and approved by the Board of Trustees in June 2020, will ensure AUB’s future success, relevance, and sustainability for generations to come. It is a far-reaching, ambitious, and very exciting vision of a global American university:

Anchored in Beirut, Lebanon with:

  • Offices in North America ​
  • Campuses outside Lebanon
  • An expanded AUB Online presence and
  • Hubs in Africa​

On April 8, 2022, the American University of Beirut celebrated a milestone event in the realization of the Global AUB vision: the signing of the agreement with the Municipality of Pafos in Cyprus to establish the American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo, AUB’s first campus outside Lebanon.

AUB Mediterraneo is approved by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) as a branch campus of the American University of Beirut. All departments and programs at AUB Mediterraneo are accredited by the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher Education (CYQAA).​​ We will be welcoming students to AUB Mediterraneo in the 2023-24 academic year and plan to expand the student body to 2,000 students within 10 years. In 2023-24, AUB’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, and the Maroun Semaan Faculty of Engineering and Architecture will be offering undergraduate and graduate programs in philosophy, politics, ​and economics (BA); psychology (BS); computer science (BS); industrial engineering (BS); engineering management (MS); business administration–management (BBA); and business analytics (MS). We will be offering additional academic programs in future years.​​

Mission and Vision

​​​​Vision

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo aspires to be a hub of knowledge exchange and creation that leads social, environmental, and technological advancement through state-of-the-art and pioneering educational offerings, cutting-edge research and knowledge creation, and impactful community service.

Mission

The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo is a twin campus of the American University of Beirut, and as such, it brings over 150 years of experience in higher education and research to Europe.

With its liberal arts model of higher education and experiential learning opportunities, its support for cutting-edge research, and its community service orientation, it aims to prepare critical thinkers, global leaders, innovators, and responsible global citizens.

The university nurtures undergraduate and graduate learning by providing an innovative, supportive, and inclusive learning environment that encourages freedom of thought, fosters tolerance, and respects diversity. AUB Mediterraneo constitutes a unique hub for distinguished collaborative research, forward-looking intercultural communication and exchange, as well as a site for intellectual, professional, social, and personal growth.​

The American University of Beirut is creating a twin campus in Pafos, Cyprus, that offers a public place in the city. The context has a unique historical and industrial characteristic that will be reflected in the project's design. Open and permeable to the city, the new campus is creating a public platea, a Greek public space, or a void within the urban fabric to attract diverse people from the city for a mutual cultural exchange between the campus and urban fabric. Acting as a cultural incubator, the campus is a generator of ideas, thought, and innovation. In addition, the project is expected to pave the way and inform the development of future potential campuses, part of the recently expressed strategy of expansion of the university.

The new facility is located on plot 71 situated 1.4 km from the city center and 1 km from the seafront and the tourist area. Plot 71 has a site area of 0.9 ha with an allowable built-up space of around 9,500 m2. ​

Dar Group prepared the master plan for the American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo, the first campus established by the American University of Beirut outside of Lebanon. In line with the university's “Global AUB" vision, the new campus is designed to enrich the interchange of ideas, knowledge, and purpose already taking place in the Beirut campus, empowering the university to serve a broader audience and to become more global, more diverse, and more inclusive. Dar Group is a leading, privately-owned professional services group with a diverse history and a global presence. Its world-class planning, design, engineering, and project management firms are dedicated to achieving clients' ambitions and supporting sustainable communities worldwide.

Set in a strategic location roughly between the city center of Paf os and the tourist area, the new campus will incorporate and showcase traces and memories of the site's industrial past, through the preserved stone walls of the former Carob Mill Warehouse, which will envelop the 3,488 m2 main administration building.

The new campus will be anchored by a Greek plathea, or large open plaza – a void at the center of the site, echoing the famous Green Oval of the Beirut campus and serving as a community space that attracts students and visitors and hosts events, talks, workshops, lectures and shows as a center for cultural exchange. With a stoa for protected passageways, green public spaces, and seating, the grand open space grants access to the site's three main buildings: the main administration building, an adjacent auditorium and facility building (1,000 m2), and a 4,611 m2 classroom block housing student classrooms and labs.

The design of the new campus is also engaged in a dialogue with the original Beirut campus, reimagining and echoing iconic and instantly recognizable features such as the main gate and the Beirut campus clock tower.

The master plan also covers the second phase of the campus, which will feature a main academic building with classrooms and labs, a new multipurpose hall, and extra spaces for administration and facilities.

With skylights, greenery, and photovoltaic panels featuring prominently, the campus will form a vibrant, attractive, and sustainable destination.

The scope of work includes the following project components:

Administration building:

The administration building is located at the west front side of plot 71 adjacent to the main access road. It is located inside the existing stone walls of the Carob Mills Warehouse forming part of the building envelope. It includes the university administration staff and faculty offices with associated services (entrance lobby, vertical and horizontal circulation, elevator lobby, toilets, pantries, electric/telecom rooms, data center, offices, meeting rooms...) distributed on the ground and three additional floors with an overall gross building area of around 4,270 m2.

Classrooms building:

The classroom building is located at the east back side of plot 71. It includes all the classrooms and spaces related to students (entrance lobby, vertical and horizontal circulation, elevator lobby, laboratories, study room, classrooms, toilets, electrical and telecom rooms) distributed on the ground and three additional floors with an overall gross building area of around 4,850 m2.

Facility building:

The facility building is located adjacent to the administration building on the south side of plot 71. It includes the project facilities and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) spaces (auditorium, snack bar, water tanks, and pump rooms, storage, electrical main rooms, generator, maintenance staff offices) distributed on the basement, ground, and mezzanine floors with an overall gross building area of around 2,100 m2. The administration and classroom buildings are linked with an open colonnade at the ground level with an overall gross building area of around 425 m2. Between these two buildings as well as a bleacher with the electrical substation and storage underneath at ground level with an overall gross building area of around 230 m2.

The open spaces between the different buildings and plot limits are covered by hard and soft landscaping with infrastructure and furniture.

    Required documents for the issue of visa or entry permits that need to be submitted to the Civil Registry and Migration Department of Cyprus​

    • Duly certified copy of passport or another travel document, with a validity of at least the expected duration of studies and/or at least two years.
    • In the case of minors, duly certified parental approval of the suggested residence.
    • Original Certificate of Criminal Record from the country of origin (if the applicant resides in a country other than the country of origin, the certificate should be issued from the country of residence).
    • Duly certified original results of medical tests showing that the applicant does not bear/suffer from HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, or Tuberculosis – TB (through chest x-ray), from the country of origin with a validity of four months.
    • Acceptance letter from AUB Mediterraneo, including a description of the specific program of study and its duration.
    • Receipt of payment of registration fees to AUB Mediterraneo.
    • Duly certified copy of confirmation letter from a banking institution in the country of residence, of financial ability to cover tuition fees, living and repatriation expenses, or duly certified confirmation letter of scholarship, issued by the awarding institution, if this is in the country of residence.
    • Receipt of payment of application fees.
    • Application Form ​M58 was thoroughly completed and signed.

    After arrival to Cyprus, the below need to be submitted to the Civil Registry and Migration Department within ten days of entry:​

    • Duly certified copy of passport or another travel document, with a validity of at least the expected duration of studies and/or at least two years (shortest period of validity of any of the two) – during the meeting at the department, the applicant also needs to bring the original passport for verification purposes.
    • Proof of comprehensive health insurance in the Republic, unless the applicant is automatically insured with their registration to AUB Mediterraneo.
    • Duly certified original results of medical tests showing that the applicant does not bear/suffer from HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, or Tuberculosis – TB (through chest x-ray), from Cyprus stamped and signed by a doctor with a validity of four months.
    • Confirmation from a banking institution in the Republic that the applicant has transferred sufficient funds to their personal account to cover tuition fees, accommodation, and living expenses for the period that the residence permit is applied for.
    • Personal Bank Guarantee or Bank Guarantee from AUB for repatriation expenses.
    • Receipt of payment of application fees.
    • Application Form M61 was thoroughly completed and signed.

    Documents not in Greek or English require a certified translation as well into one of the two languages to accompany them. Official documents issued by Russia and Serbia do not require legalization or ratification, but official documents from any other country will require legalization by apostille – if the country of issuance is not a party to the Apostille Convention, the documents should bear diplomatic ratification. Please find herein more information on the ratification of the accompanying documents.​​

    AUB in Europe Scholarship 10% or 20% of Tuition

    The AUB in Europe Scholarship celebrates the establishment of the American University of Beirut — Mediterraneo as AUB’s first twin campus in Europe.

    • Students who are residing in and/or graduating from high schools or universities in, and also nationals of, countries in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland (listed below) will receive a scholarship covering 20 percent of the cost of tuition
    • Students who are residing in and/or graduating from high schools or universities in countries in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland (listed above) will receive an AUB in Europe Scholarship covering 10 percent of the cost of tuition:

    About WAAAUB and the WAAAUB Alumni Chapters

    The Worldwide Alumni Association of AUB (WAAAUB) works to strengthen the ties between AUB and its alumni to engage all alumni in supporting the goals and the educational, research,

    and service mission of the university. There are 67 alumni chapters and branches around the world: 26 in North America, 10 professional chapters, and 31 in the rest of the world as detailed below:

    • ​26 in North America (22 in the US, 4 in Canada)
    • 15 in Lebanon, including 10 professional chapters
    • 13 in MENA (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the UAE)
    • 8 in Europe (Cyprus, Germany, Greece, France, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK)
    • 5 in the rest of the world (Australia, Ivory Coast, Maldives, Nigeria, and Sudan)

    About the Cyprus Chapter

    There are currently several hundred AUB alumni living in Cyprus, many of whom are Cypriot nationals. AUB alumni have played, and continue to play, key roles in Cyprus through their contributions in the private and public sectors. Some of our prominent alumni in Cyprus are Eliza Markidou Ioannidou (BS Biology '84), head of the Nutrition Department, Ministry of Health, Cyprus; Shadi Antoine Karam (BA Sociology '70, MA Sociology '72), Chairman, AstroBank; Soulla Christou Takkidou (BA Public Administration '85), Chief Executive Officer, Department of Public Administration and Personnel, Ministry of Finance, Cyprus; and Ioannis M. Violaris (BA Economics '78), Professor in Economics and Management, City Unity College, European University, Neapolis University, and Frederick University, Many of our alumni are members of the well-established and active alumni chapter.

    The current leadership of the chapter is as follows:

    • President: Eliza Markidou Ioannidou (BA ’84)
    • Vice president: Andriana Christoforou Achilleos (BS ’83)
    • Immediate ex-president: Athanasia Kythreotou Zavou (BA ’72)
    • Secretary: Ward Wehbeh Christofi (BEN ’08)
    • Treasurer: Costakis A. Vatiliotis (BBA ’84)
    • Member at-Large: Ioannis M. Violaris (BA ’78)
    • Member at-Large: G. Solomonidou Christofidou (BBA ’83)
    • Member at-Large: Costas Tsiakkas (BBA ’83)
    • Member at-Large: Ghada Shami Christofides (BBA ’80)
    • Member at-Large: Ekaterini Georghiadou Economidou (BA ’81)
    • Member at-Large: Polycarpos Polycarpou (BBA ’83)​
      • Paphos

        Νεοφύτου Νικολαίδη,65, , Paphos

        Programs

        Questions

        AUB – Mediterraneo