Université Saint-Joseph (Beirut, Lebanon)

Saint Joseph University of Beirut (Arabic: جامعة القديس يوسف في بيروت; French: Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Government of France during the time when Lebanon was under Ottoman rule. As the oldest French university in Lebanon, it promotes Lebanese culture and upholds a policy of equal admission opportunity without consideration of ethno-religious affiliations. It advocates trilingual education, offering instruction in Arabic, French, and English. It is known in Lebanon and the Middle East for its university hospital, the Hôtel-Dieu de France, and for its Faculty of Law, modern Lebanon's oldest law school and the first law school in Lebanon since the ancient Roman law school of Berytus. The 12,650-student enrollment is served by an academic staff of 2,000 and a support staff of 540, distributed over its 13 faculties, 24 institutes and schools, across five campuses in Beirut, with regional university centers in Sidon, Tripoli, and Zahlé, as well as one foreign center, the USJ-Dubai, located in Dubai, UAE. USJ is the only university in the Middle East and the Arab world to follow the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), as well as having official recognition and compliance with the higher education regulations of Lebanon. USJ has partnerships with over 275 institutions in 42 countries, including Francophone, Jesuit, and Arab universities.