University of St Andrews

At a glance

The American University in Cairo (AUC) was founded in 1919 by Americans devoted to education and service in the Middle East. AUC emphasizes a liberal arts education, with all undergraduate students studying a common set of courses in the humanities and the natural and social sciences as part of the University's Core Curriculum. Chartered and accredited in the United States and Egypt, AUC is an independent, not-for-profit, equal-opportunity institution.
Established : 1919
Student Population : 6835
History : AUC was initially intended to be both a preparatory school and a university for males. Since then, it has closed its high school division, enrolled female students, and gone through rapid expansion and reorganisation of its departments. The University currently has 25 departments and institutes offering bachelor's, master's and graduate diploma programs, in addition to 12 cross-discipline research centres.
Overview of Facilities and campus : The University is divided into two campuses. The New Cairo campus houses five schools, 12 cross-disciplinary research centres, state-of-the-art labs and classrooms along with Egypt’s largest English-language library collection. The Tahrir Square campus is in the heart of downtown Cairo and houses the School of Continuing Education (SCE), AUC bookstores, classrooms, and a cafeteria.

Academic Calendar

Website and links

Website : AUC Home Page

Study abroad page : AUC Study Abroad Homepage

Who can go

Students on degree programmes in the following subject areas may apply to study abroad during their Junior Honours year at American University in Cairo:
This exchange is available to students studying Arabic, History and International Relations for one semester only.

• Arabic and Persian
• History
• International Relations

Semesters Available

• First Semester
• Second Semester

Note: Joint Honours students may only apply for a full year abroad if BOTH subjects are listed above. Joint Honours students applying for one semester must seek permission from both Schools.

Study abroad coordinator

Each School has a designated Study Abroad Adviser.

Semester dates

Semester dates are as follows

2026/7
Semester 1 Sep 2026 to Dec 2026
Semester 2 Jan 2027 to May 2027

Your studies abroad

See our Credits and Modules Abroad webpage for information on the number of credits we expect students to take at our partner institutions. St Andrews expects students to attend all classes as part of their programme abroad. Assessment methods may vary across partners and could include class participation, continuous assessment in the form of homework and final exams. All courses must be agreed with your Study Abroad Coordinator. See our academic information webpage for further details, as well as information about credit and grade conversion.

Application and selection

This is a School Abroad programme.

Places available

Places available : The number of places available will be confirmed during the selection. Please note that this exchange is available for a semester only. Full year placements are not possible.

Places available may vary from year to year depending on the exchange balance. Numbers for the following academic year will be confirmed at the information meeting.

Getting there and getting around

The nearest airport is Cairo International Airport.

Before you arrive, you can arrange airport transportation with the University by contacting carpool@aucegypt.edu . A driver will pick you up at the Cairo airport and take you to your residence.

Once you arrive in Cairo and you want to get to the New Cairo campus, your best option is to use the AUC Shuttle Bus. One needs an AUC student ID to board the shuttle bus. Upon your initial arrival, show the bus driver your acceptance letter, along with your passport, and you should be allowed to ride the bus. The network of buses cover most Cairo neighbourhoods and run all day.

Accommodation

Housing assignments are only processed on a first-apply, first-served basis. The University launches a portal email announcing the launch dates every year. Once you receive the portal email announcing the application launch dates, you can apply to accommodation via the StarRez Portal . You will then receive another email from the Office of Residential Life which will guide you through the next steps. The AUC Residences Webpages provide more guidance on how to apply for housing, along with price rates and facilities. Specific roommate requests are taken into consideration but are not guaranteed and are based upon availability. Additionally, students can also live in private accommodation

Please note that St Andrews is unable to guarantee housing at any of our partner institutions. Guidance on finding accommodation abroad is available on the Global Office webpage.

Student services and orientation

The Centre for Student Wellbeing webpages provide an overview of the student well-being services provided to students at AUC.

Please be aware that student support services will be different across all of our partner universities.

See the student support services webpage.