Al-Quds University

Overview

Al-Quds University (AQU) is a collegiate research university that currently offers more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate programs, taught through its fifteen degree-granting faculties, covering the main scientific disciplines, which include medicine, life and natural sciences, arts and humanities, business and management, law and jurisprudence, engineering, and social sciences. Established in 1977 in fulfillment of a 1931 resolution to found an Arab university in Jerusalem. AQU currently enrolls around 12, 000 full time students, taught by more than 700 faculty members.

Faculties and Programs

Al-Quds University currently offers more than 65 undergraduate programs and 45 graduate programs, taught through its fifteen degree-granting faculties. Al-Quds University’s faculties include Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, Law, Medical Professions, Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Science and Technology, Quran and Islamic Studies, Education, Public Health, Dual Studies (in partnership with the German government), Al-Quds Bard, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Students

Al-Quds University enrolls around 9, 500 undergraduate students and 2, 500 graduate students, bringing the student body to 12, 000 full-time students. Female students at AQU constitute more than 55% of its overall student body.  

Faculty

With approximately 700 faculty members, the student-faculty ratio at Al-Quds University is 17:1.  

Campuses

Al-Quds University has four main campuses in Jerusalem: the Old City Campus, the Beit Hanina Campus, the Sheikh Jarrah Campus, and the Abu Dis Campus (known as the Main Campus). The University also maintains several educational centers in the city of Gaza and in Dura, Hebron. Through these centers, Al-Quds University aims to enhance access to education for the marginalized segments of the Palestinian society who would otherwise be unable to pursue higher education.   

Academic Initiatives

While Al-Quds University has taken the lead in founding in Palestine the first faculties of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, health professions, and law, Al-Quds University has also introduced the first liberal arts and sciences college in the entire Middle East region. Established as part of an ongoing partnership with Bard College of New York, Al-Quds Bard College confers the bachelor in arts and sciences, and a master in teaching, awarded by both Al-Quds University and Bard College.   

With support from the German government, AQU also founded a pilot academic program known as the “Dual Studies”. Modeled on the German approach of merging academic learning with practical training, the Dual Studies program remains unique to the entire Arab world and currently enrolls more than 200 full-time undergraduate students.

Financial Aid

To ensure that all students who meet the academic requirements receive the education they deserve, Al-Quds University maintains the largest financial aid program amongst Palestinian universities, with more than 55% of its student body receiving financial aid.

Leadership

Professor Imad Abu Kishek is the president of Al-Quds University. He is a Professor of Public Policy and a prominent authority in the field of institutional development and higher education development.