Saint Joseph University of Beirut

About Saint Joseph University of Beirut

USJ combines a long-established Jesuit identity with the structure of a broad, professionally oriented university. The official overview lists 13 faculties alongside specialized institutes and schools. This arrangement gives prospective students access to fields ranging from medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, and nursing to engineering, law, economics, management, humanities, science, education, and translation. The institution is private and holds public-utility status in Lebanon. The university’s facilities are distributed rather than concentrated on one unified campus. Six named campuses operate in Beirut, while regional sites serve North Lebanon, South Lebanon, and Zahle and the Beqaa. Applicants should therefore confirm where their intended program is delivered because location affects commuting, housing, and access to campus-specific services. The Dubai campus should also be treated separately when comparing programs, admissions rules, and costs. USJ identifies as Francophone while promoting French, English, and Arabic. This multilingual environment is a defining feature, but the balance of languages varies by program. The university’s health ecosystem includes Hôtel-Dieu de France, its university medical center, affiliated or accredited hospitals used for clinical education, and centers serving dental, speech and language, psychomotor, and psychological needs. The university reports that its international institutional accreditation was renewed without conditions in 2025 for an eight-year term. This supports its continuing operating status, while Lebanese Ministry records provide the underlying national recognition as a degree-granting university.

Undergraduate admissions for 2026–2027 use early, regular, and late periods, but the permitted route and selection method depend on the chosen program. The official English application guide lists early applications from October 15 to December 17, 2025, regular applications from February 2 to June 19, 2026, and late applications from June 20 to August 21, 2026. As of August 20, 2026, only the published late period had not yet ended; applicants must verify that their program still accepts late applications and that places remain. The university requests school records and identity documentation. Depending on the application period, undergraduate applicants submit transcripts from the first two or all three secondary years. Applicants who already hold a Lebanese Baccalaureate or equivalent must provide the required certified documentation, and foreign applicants use a passport in place of the Lebanese civil-status record. Prior higher-education study and diplomas must also be documented when relevant. Selection is not uniform. Some programs use file review, some permit admission based on qualifying credentials, and others require an entrance examination. Applicants must consult the program table rather than apply a university-wide assumption. Language assessment is also program-specific because teaching may be in French, English, or another stated combination. Master’s and doctoral candidates follow separate second- and third-cycle procedures. International applicants should additionally verify Lebanese equivalency requirements, immigration rules, and the correct campus before submitting documents or making travel plans.

USJ offers undergraduate and postgraduate study across a wide disciplinary range. Its 2025–2026 official catalog identifies bachelor’s programs and provides separate sections for master’s and doctoral study, while Lebanese Ministry documentation authorizes awards through the doctoral level. Students should use the live program catalog and the relevant faculty page to verify the current curriculum, award title, campus, duration, prerequisites, and selection method. Academic delivery is organized by field and campus. Medical and health programs connect with Hôtel-Dieu de France and a wider clinical network. Engineering and science are associated primarily with the Science and Technology Campus, while humanities, social sciences, and other fields have their own Beirut locations. Some programs are also available at regional campuses, but applicants should not assume that every specialization or progression route is offered at every site. Language is an important academic planning issue. USJ presents itself as Francophone and trilingual, and it also publishes a dedicated list of programs taught in English. The existence of English-taught options does not mean the university as a whole uses English. Applicants should check the language of instruction, required placement category, and any French, English, or Arabic expectations for their particular course. Admissions methods also vary academically. The 2026–2027 undergraduate guide distinguishes file-based selection, title-based admission, and entrance examinations depending on the institution and program. This makes program-level research essential, particularly for selective health, translation, and other professionally regulated pathways.

Key Highlights

• Private Lebanese university founded by the Society of Jesus in 1875
• Academic structure includes 13 faculties plus specialized institutes and schools
• Operates six Beirut campuses and three regional campuses in Lebanon
• Reports unconditional institutional reaccreditation in 2025 for eight years

Student Life & Environment

Student life is spread across USJ’s Beirut and regional campuses, so the available community and facilities depend partly on where a student studies. The Student Life Office coordinates clubs, student representative structures, welcome activities, and student-led projects across campuses. The university’s 2025 student guide reports more than 30 thematic clubs covering professional, civic, cultural, and artistic interests and explains that students may propose new clubs. USJ provides an official residence on Damascus Road in Beirut, close to the Rectorate. The residence offers single and double rooms in separate wings for women and men. Places are limited, however, and international students are told to reserve in advance. The university also maintains information about other residences near its campuses; students remain responsible for confirming availability, price, rules, and commuting distance. Support services include psychological support, counseling, inclusion services, student orientation, and health-related care centers. Cafeterias operate on Beirut and regional campuses, while parking access and charges vary by site. Sports teams and inter-institution competitions are available, but participation in representative teams may require a tryout. Prospective students should evaluate student life campus by campus. A program based on Damascus Road offers a different daily setting from one in Mar Roukoz or at a regional campus, and housing should be planned around the actual teaching location.

Location & Surroundings

USJ is based in Beirut but does not occupy a single consolidated campus. Its six Beirut sites include the Medical Sciences, François Debbané Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Humanities, Innovation and Sports, and Charles Corm campuses. Several are on or near Damascus Road, while the Science and Technology Campus is in Mar Roukoz, Mkalles, and the social-sciences site is on Huvelin Street. Beyond Beirut, USJ operates the North Lebanon Campus at Ras Maska near Tripoli, the South Lebanon Campus at Bramieh near Saida, and the Zahle and Beqaa Campus at Hazerta. It also lists a separate Dubai campus. The supplied database record represents the parent university in Beirut rather than an individual regional or international branch. Campus location should be part of program selection. Applicants should identify where required classes, laboratories, placements, and student services are based before choosing housing. The official residence on Damascus Road may be convenient for some central Beirut programs but not necessarily for programs taught in Mar Roukoz or outside Beirut. Transport arrangements and regional conditions should be checked directly before enrollment or travel.

Costs & Career Outcomes

USJ did not expose a single authoritative 2026–2027 tuition table in the strongest accessible official sources reviewed. Because charges can differ by program, credit load, and campus, applicants should obtain a written cost estimate from the Student Information and Orientation Office or the relevant faculty. They should also ask whether quoted charges include registration, examinations, insurance, laboratories, clinical training, and other compulsory items. No unsupported tuition figure is presented here. For 2026–2027, USJ publishes need-based aid deadlines tied to the undergraduate admission periods: February 6 for early applicants, June 16 for regular applicants, and August 28 for late applicants. The page also gives June 16 as the master’s aid deadline. These are aid dates, not admission deadlines. The university offers social grants and interest-free loans, subject to financial assessment and academic participation requirements. It states that existing recipients remaining in the same program receive automatic renewal for 2026–2027, following an update of their circumstances. Applicants should confirm eligibility before relying on assistance; the separate international-student scholarship program is suspended until further notice. Career support is provided through the Career and Placement Office. Services include individual coaching, CV and interview preparation, employability training, and circulation of internship and job opportunities. The office also organizes employer-facing activities and supports entrepreneurship with partner units. These services are useful resources, but the university does not provide verified program-level salary or placement outcomes in the sources used for this profile.