Quality education is a prime consideration at LAU. The Admissions Office considers all applicants on the basis of their qualifications, regardless of race, color, gender, religion, disabilities, age or national origin.

Information, procedures and criteria for admission for the academic year 2019–2020 are effective as of the date of publication, but remain subject to change.

Admission Requirements

The following documents are required to process an application by the Admissions Office:

• LAU application form, available at the Admissions Office. It can also be downloaded or completed online.
• One recent passport-size color photo.
• A photocopy of the identity card or passport for each nationality declared in the application form.
• Certified high-school grade reports for the last three years, signed and sent in a sealed envelope directly to the Admissions Office. Grades of former years or semesters should be sent as soon as they become available.
• Official SAT I or the ACT scores.
• Certified copy of the official secondary school certificate and its official Lebanese equivalence as soon as they become available.
• Official freshman enrollment permission or the official exemption from Arabic, issued by the Ministry of Education in Lebanon, if applicable.
• Transfer applicants must submit official transcript of grades and the academic catalogs of colleges or universities attended. Undeclared transcripts will not be accepted after enrollment.
• For U.S. citizens or U.S. green card holders, the W-9S form to be completed and submitted. The W-9S form may be downloaded from www.irs.gov
• A non-refundable fee of $85 (L.L. 128,000) for paper applications and $65 (L.L.100,000) for online applications.

All submitted documents become the property of LAU and will not be returned.

English Proficiency Requirements

English is the official language of instruction at LAU, and applicants must demonstrate their proficiency in the language by taking one of the following tests:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)¹
• English Entrance Exam (EEE) administered by LAU ( may be repeated at a one month interval). View the exam schedule here.
• SAT I Writing
• ACT Writing
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

For minimum required test scores, visit Admissions.

¹ Applicants must register for the International TOEFL using LAU’s code 2595; Institutional TOEFL is not recognized at LAU.

Admission to the Freshman Year

Applicants who might qualify for admission to the freshman year are:

• Holders of a high school diploma.
• Applicants coming from the British system with a minimum of five subjects at the Ordinary levels, and one subject at the Advanced level or two Advanced Supplementary subjects, excluding languages.
• Applicants having successfully completed one year of the Collège d’Enseignement Général et Professionnel (CEGEP) in Québec, Canada.
• Holders of the International Baccalaureate Certificate from abroad. Lebanese applicants, prior to their registration, must secure approval from the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese Ministry of Education to enroll in a foreign program. For approval, applicants must show proof of having studied abroad for at least two years at the intermediate or secondary level, or three years at the elementary level. Applicants must sit for SAT I prior to admission but may choose to take SAT II exams during the first year of enrollment. The Equivalence Committee specifies a minimum score for Freshman Science and for Freshman Arts, for the five subjects of SAT I and SAT II combined.

Holders of a General Certificate of Education (GCE) with only Ordinary level subjects do not qualify for admission.

SAT II subjects required for Freshman Science:

• Mathematics 2C
• two sciences from Biology, Chemistry or Physics

SAT II subjects required for Freshman Arts:

• Mathematics I or IC
• any two subjects from the SAT II subject tests

Admission to the Sophomore Year

Applicants who might qualify for admission to the sophomore year are:

• Holders of one of the four types of the Lebanese Baccalaureate: General Science, Life Science, Economics and Sociology, or Literature and Humanities.
• Holders of the Technical Baccalaureate. Applicants under this category may choose only programs in the same area of specialization as their technical degree, or as assigned by the Ministry of Education.
• Holders of official secondary school certificates equivalent to the Lebanese Baccalaureate, such as the French Baccalaureate, the International Baccalaureate Diploma, the German Abitur, and the Tawjihieh; Lebanese applicants under this category must secure an official equivalence document from the Lebanese Ministry of Education.
• Applicants who have successfully completed two years of the Collège d’Enseignement Général et Professionnel (CEGEP) in Québec, Canada.
• Applicants coming from the British system with a minimum of three subjects at the Ordinary levels, and two subjects at the Advanced level or four Advanced Supplementary subjects, excluding languages.

Note: Applicants who have obtained permission from the Equivalence Committee of the Lebanese Ministry of Education to pursue their education in a foreign program are exempted from Arabic requirements.

Admission of Transfer Students

Transfer students need to take the following into consideration to be eligible for admission:

• Applicants who have completed less than 12 credits must sit for the SAT I.
• Certified transcripts of grades and the catalogs from all colleges or universities attended must be submitted. Undeclared transcripts will not be accepted after enrollment.
• Prior to registration, the Registrar’s Office and the school involved review and assess the adequacy of the courses for transfer purposes. Only courses with a minimum grade of C or above are considered.
• Transfer students from an institution of higher education recognized by LAU and where English is the language of instruction are not required to take the EEE or TOEFL. Applicants not having any transferable English course from their former institution may take Remedial English (ENG009) or sit for an English Placement Test and LAU. Transfer students coming from an institution of higher education recognized by LAU where English is not the language of instruction are required to take the EEE or the TOEFL.
• Transfer students coming from an institution of higher education not recognized by LAU must fulfill the English requirement for admission. Their admission remains probationary with no transfer of credits until they have completed 12 new credits (6 credits in major courses) in the first semester of enrollment with a minimum GPA of 2.50/4.00. Only then may they petition to the school for transfer of credits, if applicable.
• Transfer students with freshman equivalency are admitted to the sophomore year and granted a minimum of 24 credits. For sophomore-level courses and above taken at other universities and dated beyond the freshman equivalency term/date, LAU transfer rules apply.

Admission for a Second Degree

Applicants for a second degree must apply for admission and must complete all the requirements of the school intended.

Validity of Acceptance for Admission

An offer of admission to an applicant is valid only for one semester. If applicants accepted for a specific semester do not register and wish to defer their admission, they must complete and submit a Reactivation Application available at the Office of Admissions.

Special Programs

“Special” students are those who are eligible for admission and choose to take courses without working toward a degree. Students in this category may petition for a degree status. Decisions are made by the University Admissions Council.

Teaching Diploma

Applicants to the Teaching Diploma must have completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Applicants graduating from an institution of higher education recognized by LAU where English is not the language of instruction are required to pass the EEE, or the TOEFL.

Bridge Program

Students in the Bridge Program register in a specific set of courses during their first year to fulfill certain admission requirements, after which they move on to their program of study as regular students if they have successfully completed their course requirements.