Rafik Hariri University (RHU)

Rafik Hariri University, located in the beautiful Mechref village of Damour city, is a leading university in Lebanon. Since its establishment in September 1999, RHU has preserved the legacy of the man behind the institution in providing quality higher education that pushes boundaries beyond what seems possible.

Rafik Hariri University, whose aim is to provide affordable, high quality education and to supply knowledgeable and competent graduates to meet Lebanese and regional job market demands, became a reality and opened its doors for the first time on September 15, 1999, with the College of Business Administration, according to Presidential Decree 1947. It opened with a student population of 75. After its Colleges of Engineering and Science and Information Systems were established, RHU was granted university status on June 19, 2006, by Decree Number 17192.

RHU is made up of four colleges that offer courses and awards academic degrees, both graduate and undergraduate. Each college comprises two or three different departments which offer more than twenty accredited programs including the Freshman Arts and Science.

Rafik Hariri University envisions becoming a beacon of knowledge, a brand for academic distinction and a force of meaningful transformation by fostering a culture of quality, instituting authentic learning conditions, and supporting purposeful research to advance knowledge and nurture leaders capable of driving development and contributing to the enrichment of the community - immediate and beyond.

Rafik Hariri University (RHU) espouses to advance knowledge, promote innovation, build human capital, develop scientific solutions to pressing complex problems, and contribute to the social and economic development of Lebanon and the Arab World by encouraging and supporting impactful research activities. Recognizing the importance of scientific and applied research, RHU is committed to foster a research culture conducive to the pursuance of solutions to promising ideas. In keeping with this commitment RHU shall provide initial research funds to faculty members who have the potential for advancing RHU’s research agenda.

Toward that end, RHU offers initial funds on competitive basis to faculty members pursuing promising research ideas. It is hoped that the results of the research effort shall lead to publishing research papers, solving a community related problem, and/or paving the way to receiving support from external funding sources to advance the research to higher levels.