AUS welcomes more than 1400 new students and 45 new faculty for Fall 2026, expands academic portfolio with 3 new master’s degrees

Image description: Chancellor Tod Laursen addresses students and parents during Welcome Session Fall 2026

American University of Sharjah (AUS) has officially opened the 2026–2027 academic year, welcoming 1,188 new undergraduate and 223 new graduate students, bringing the total new cohort to 1,411 students, along with 45 new full-time and visiting faculty members. Additionally, the new semester marks the start of three new innovative graduate programs. 

Reflecting AUS’ growth in the QS World University Rankings, the university posted a 4 percent increase in its number of graduate and undergraduate students as compared to Fall 2025. This growth includes a strong female representation with women accounting for 54 percent of the incoming undergraduate class and 60 percent of new graduate students. Across the entire university population, male vs female enrollment stands at 47 percent to 53 percent, exhibiting a balanced overall student demographic. 

“Our Fall 2026 intake reflects both sustained demand for an AUS education and our commitment to students’ success. Welcoming over 1,400 new students demonstrates the strength of our academic reputation across the region and globally”, said Ali Shuhaimy, Executive Director of Enrollment Management at AUS.

Before classes began on August 17, the new students were welcomed to campus during orientation, an essential step for starting their life as AUS students. For undergraduates, a group of dedicated Peer Leaders provided guidance throughout orientation week and beyond, supporting the new students in discovering the resources, activities and organizations available on campus such as the First Year Experience Program, the Academic Support Center and the One Stop Solution Center. New graduate students had their own orientation day, tailored to the special needs of master’s and PhD students. 

The AUS One Stop Solution Center provides centralized support to new students across a broad range of academic and associated services, including admissions, financial grants and scholarships, student accounts, housing, transportation, IT, library access, student employment, insurance, visa assistance, security services and more.

Image description: Students and parents participate in Orientation Fall 2026

Student Peer Leader Hannave Anura said, “Starting one’s university life is a transformative step and our goal as Peer Leaders is to ensure every new student feels immediate confidence and belonging at AUS. We aim to get all incoming students on board with minimum issues to ensure that all available campus facilities, curricular and extracurricular resources and day-to-day student life matters become seamless because of student peers guiding them.”

The new semester also sees the start of three new master’s degree programs.  These are the Master of Fine Arts in Trans-Disciplinary Design offered by the College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD); the Master of Science in Environmental Sustainability and Management offered by the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS); and the Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering offered by the College of Engineering (CEN). 

Dr. Matthias Ruth, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, highlighted the new offerings by explaining, “The introduction of these three graduate programs marks an expansion of our academic offerings which aim to empower our graduate students with the ability to address real-world challenges in the corporate sector and to be innovative and future-ready. These courses also aim to increase our research and align our teaching with global market demands by fostering expertise in trans-disciplinary design, environmental sustainability and data analytics engineering.”

For more information on the new programs, visit Master of Fine Arts in Trans-Disciplinary Design, Master of Science in Environmental Sustainability and Management, and Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering.

For students looking to apply to AUS for Spring Semester 2027, applications open in October. Details on applying to AUS can be found at infodesk.aus.edu.