American University of Beirut signs agreement to open a campus in Pafos, Cyprus

The American University of Beirut (AUB) signed an agreement with the Municipality of Pafos on April 8, 2022, to open a campus in the Cypriot city. The university said the site would be its first campus outside Lebanon in a history of more than 155 years, and that it planned to open in fall 2023.

AUB listed the programs it intended to offer at the new campus. At undergraduate level these were politics, philosophy and economics; psychology; computer science; industrial engineering; and business administration with a management focus. Two graduate programs were also planned, in engineering management and business analytics. The signing ceremony was attended by the president of Cyprus, a United States assistant secretary of state, the mayor of Pafos, the president of AUB and members of the university's board of trustees.

The university presented the Cyprus campus as one part of a wider strategy to reach a broader audience while keeping its base in Lebanon. According to AUB, that strategy also includes expansion in the region, possible hubs in Africa, a larger presence in North America and a wider range of online programs. The agreement made Pafos the location of the institution's second campus and extended its degree offerings to a site in Cyprus.