AUS welcomes more than 1,300 new students and 45 new faculty for Fall 2025, with PhD enrolment up 60%

New students and faculty at American University of Sharjah (AUS) began an important new chapter this August as they took their first steps on a transformative academic journey.

More than 1,300 first-year undergraduate students and their families gathered for the official Welcome Session on Sunday, August 17, where they were greeted with speeches and presentations from the AUS Chancellor, Dr. Tod A. Laursen and several other university leaders, followed by a comprehensive Week of Welcome, featuring a wide range of academic and social events designed to help undergraduate students transition to university life and set them up for a successful university experience.

AUS also welcomed hundreds of new graduate students during a dedicated orientation day on August 20. This fall, the university recorded a 60 percent increase in new PhD enrolments, rising from 27 to 43 and bringing the total number of PhD students at AUS to 138, underscoring the university’s growing graduate offering and research strength. The new academic year also saw 45 new faculty members join AUS across 25 academic departments, one of the largest intakes in its history. Their two-day orientation, organized by the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL), featured sessions on campus resources, interdisciplinary collaboration and the integration of technology in teaching and research. A new highlight was the launch of the AI Hub, a centralized platform that equips faculty with training and resources to explore AI-driven tools in their classrooms and research.

“This year’s surge in doctoral student enrollment, coupled with the addition of top-tier international faculty and the excellent caliber of undergraduate students we continue to attract, demonstrates that AUS is becoming the university of choice for ambitious scholars seeking to tackle complex global challenges through research, innovation and interdisciplinary learning,” said Chancellor Laursen.

He added: “Over the past year, AUS expanded its academic portfolio by 33 percent at the graduate level and launched six new research centers tackling issues ranging from AI to sustainability. The 60 percent increase in doctoral enrollment reflects both the strength of our new PhD offerings and the growing demand for advanced, research-focused education in the UAE. Five new graduate programs and one new undergraduate program were also launched this semester. Through these and other initiatives, AUS is strategically positioning itself to support the UAE’s transition to a competitive, high-value, innovation-driven economy that nurtures talent and supports R&D.”

For more information about new student orientation, visit www.aus.edu/admissions/orientation.

To learn more about new graduate student orientation, visit www.aus.edu/admissions/orientation/graduate.