Context

The University of Balamand is a private non-profit independent institution of Higher Education founded in 1988 and licensed by the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

With no other university in North Lebanon at the time, and a pledge of 480,000 m2 of land, the University of Balamand would answer a pressing local need to its surrounding community. It opened its doors with three faculties to a few hundred students and a handful of professors. Two of them existed before as independent entities, namely the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology (founded in 1970) and the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA, founded in 1936). A third, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences was created to meet the stipulations of Lebanese law. Today, the university's main campus remains on the Balamand Hill with four campuses across Lebanon: Koura, Dekwaneh where it houses the famous ALBA, Akkar, and Souk El Gharb. The University is also in the process of constructing a new hospital under the name of University of Balamand Medical Center.

The University fosters the principles of equity, tolerance, and compassion. It implements a rigorous policy for admission of students with total absence of discrimination on the basis of religion, gender, or special needs. The University is also dedicated to graduating professionals who are well-rounded, critical thinkers, life-long learners, and active citizens in their respective societies.

It seeks to limit the influence of dogmatism and fundamentalism in intellectual, social, political, religious and cultural fields and is a firm believer in responsible freedom and the commitment to the ideals of a democratic society. Through the provision of quality education and research, the University aims at achieving leadership in each discipline, strengthening interdisciplinary research programs and leading in new fields of education.

Today, more than ever, students require support. The demand for financial aid has increased significantly in recent years as a result of Lebanon’s severe economic collapse, the pandemic that further deepened the crisis, the devastating Beirut port explosion that profoundly affected countless lives, and the ongoing instability impacting the country. Despite these challenges, the University remains firmly committed to ensuring that no deserving student is denied access to education due to financial hardship. Investing in education is essential to building a stronger and more resilient future for Lebanon, and supporting the next generation of educated leaders remains critical to the country’s long-term development.