Lebanon: Higher Education

Higher Education

Overview

Information on key aspects of a country’s education system, including governance, instructional language, and other structural features defined by national or regional regulations.

Ministry Responsible

Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE)

Language of Instruction

Arabic, English, French

Academic Calendar

2 semesters (15 to 18 weeks each)

Fall semester: October to January

Spring semester: February to May

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

The principal quality assurance and accreditation bodies.

No.	Quality Assurance and Accreditation Body	Institution Type
1	Directorate General of Education, MEHE	Higher institutes Colleges Universities

Admissions

No.	Institution Type	Entrance Examination	Administering Body
1	Universities	Institution-specific entrance examinations	Attending institution or third-party organization
2	University colleges	Institution-specific entrance examinations	Attending institution or third-party organization
3	Higher institutes	Institution-specific entrance examinations	Attending institution or third-party organization

Institutions

Types and number of officially recognized institutions providing secondary education.

No.	Institution Type	Number of Institutions	Qualifications Offered	Quality Assurance and Accreditation
1	Public universities	1 (2026)	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree	Directorate General of Education, MEHE
2	Private universities	36 (2026)	Bachelor’s degree Master’s degree Doctoral degree	Directorate General of Education, MEHE
3	Private university institutes and colleges	9 (2026)	Bachelor’s degree (applied/professional programs)	Directorate General of Education, MEHE
4	Private university institutes for religious studies	3 (2026)	Bachelor’s degree (religious studies, theology)	Directorate General of Education, MEHE

Source: UNHCR Lebanon Education Directory

Academic Qualifications

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Degree Name	Admissions Requirements	Length of Program	Graduation Requirements	Post-graduation Pathways
1	Licence / Diplôme de Licence (French‑patterned first‑cycle degree)	Lebanese Baccalauréat (General), or Baccalauréat Technique, or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Institution‑specific entrance examination	3 to 4 years	80 to 240 ECTS Examinations Final project/internship (institution‑dependent)	Access to: master’s degree
2	Bachelor’s degree (American‑patterned: BA, BS, BBA, etc.)	Lebanese Baccalauréat, or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials English‑language proficiency Institution‑specific entrance examination	4 years	120 to 144 credits Capstone/senior project	Access to: master’s degree workforce
3	Bachelor of Engineering, Bachelor of Architecture, and related long first‑cycle degrees	Lebanese Baccalauréat (usually scientific stream), or Baccalauréat Technique, or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Institution‑specific entrance examination Field‑specific science prerequisites	5 years	Institution‑defined credits Labs Design studios Capstone project	Access to: master’s degree licensure specialization
4	Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and related health‑science bachelor’s degrees (medical laboratory sciences, physiotherapy, radiologic technology/imaging)	Lebanese Baccalauréat (scientific stream), or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Institution‑specific entrance examination Language‑proficiency requirements	4 years	Institution‑defined credits Supervised clinical practice	Access to: master’s degree licensure clinical specialization
5	Diplôme de Docteur en Médecine (Doctor of Medicine)	Lebanese Baccalauréat (scientific stream), or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Entrance examination Interviews	6 years 1-year internship	Pre‑clinical coursework Clinical rotations Clerkships Internship	Access to: residency medical licensure specialization
6	Diplôme de Docteur en Chirurgie Dentaire (Doctor of Dental Surgery)	Lebanese Baccalauréat (scientific stream), or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Entrance examination	5 years	Coursework Pre‑clinical labs Supervised clinical practice	Access to: dental licensure residency specialization
7	Diplôme de Docteur en Pharmacie (Doctor of Pharmacy)	Lebanese Baccalauréat (scientific stream), or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Entrance examination	5 to 6 years	Coursework Labs Clinical rotations	Access to: pharmacy licensure clinical specialization
8	Postgraduate Certificate Postgraduate Diploma	Bachelor’s degree Institution‑specific criteria	1 year	24 to 30 credits Project/practicum (field‑dependent)	Access to: workforce specialization master’s degree (selective)
9	Master’s degree (LMD: MA, MS, Professional Master)	Relevant Licence, or bachelor’s degree, or MEHE equivalence for foreign credentials Institution‑specific criteria	2 years	120 ECTS credits Thesis or applied project/internship	Access to: doctoral degree advanced professional employment
10	Doctorat Doctor of Philosophy	Relevant master’s degree Research proposal Supervisor acceptance	3 to 5 years	Original research Dissertation Public defense	Access to: academic and research careers advanced professional employment
11	Maîtrise [legacy 4‑year qualification]	Lebanese Baccalauréat Admission to French‑patterned programs	4 years	Coursework Examinations Institution‑defined requirements	Access to: DES [legacy pathway] DEA [legacy pathway]
12	Diplôme d’Études Supérieures (DES) [legacy postgraduate qualification]	Licence, or 5‑year integrated track	1 to 2 years	Coursework Examinations Project/thesis	Access to: DEA [legacy pathway] doctoral degree [legacy pathway]
13	Diplôme d’Études Supérieures Spécialisées (DESS) [legacy specialized postgraduate qualification]	4 to 5 years of undergraduate study	1 year	Coursework Applied project/practicum	Access to: doctoral degree (selective) professional specialization
14	Diplôme d’Études Approfondies (DEA) [legacy research postgraduate qualification]	DES, or Maîtrise	1 year	Advanced coursework Research project	Access to: doctoral degree
15	Magistère [legacy postgraduate qualification]	Licence Competitive selection	2 years	Coursework Applied or research project	Access to: doctoral degree [legacy pathway]
16	Diplôme d’Études Universitaires Générales (DEUG) [legacy French‑patterned undergraduate qualification]	Lebanese Baccalauréat	2 years	Coursework Examinations	Access to: Licence (Year 3)
17	Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (DUT) [legacy applied undergraduate qualification]	Lebanese Baccalauréat	2 years	Coursework Practical/technical training	Access to: Licence (Year 3) workforce

Technical Qualifications

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Degree Name	Admissions Requirements*	Length of Program	Graduation Requirements	Post-graduation Pathways
1	Technicien Supérieur (TS)	Lebanese Baccalaureate (General or Technical), or equivalent Institution‑specific entrance examination for some programs	2 to 3 years	Theoretical and practical coursework Institution‑defined credit load Mandatory industrial/practical training	Access to: Licence Technique (LT) technical and applied professions
2	Licence Technique (LT)	Technicien Supérieur (TS), or equivalent post‑secondary technical qualification Other institution‑specific criteria	1 to 2 years	Advanced technical coursework Institution‑defined credit load Practical/industrial placement	Access to: professional employment in technical fields university bridging program (institution‑dependent)

* Admission regulated by the Directorate General for Vocational and Technical Education (DGVTE)

Grading System

Examples of the most commonly used grading scales.

No.	Descriptor	Numeric Scale	Percent Range	Letter Grades	Grade Points
1	Excellent	18 to 20	90 to 100%	A+	4.00
2	Excellent	17 to 17.99	85 to 89.99%	A	4.00
3	Very good	16 to 16.99	80 to 84.99%	A-	3.70
4	Good	15.34 to 15.99	76.7 to 79.99%	B+	3.30
5	Good	14.67 to 15.33	73.35 to 76.69%	B	3.10
6	Good	14 to 14.66	70 to 73.34%	B-	3.00
7	Good enough	13.34 to 13.99	66.7 to 69.99%	C+	2.70
8	Good enough	12.67 to 13.33	63.35 to 66.69%	C	2.30
9	Good enough	12.00 to 12.66	60 to 63.34%	C-	2.10
10	Fair	11.47 to 11.99	56.7 to 59.99%	D+	2.00
11	Fair	10.67 to 11.33	53.35 to 56.69%	D	1.70
12	(jury)	10 to 10.66	50 to 53.34%	D-	1.30
13	(jury)	8 to 9.99	40 to 49.99%	(jury)	0.00
14	Fail	0 to 7.99	0 to 39.99%	F	0.00

Enrollment

Total Enrollment

Total enrollment in a specific level of education, regardless of age.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

Gross Enrollment Ratio

Total enrollment in a specific level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the eligible official school-age population corresponding to the same level of education in a given school year.

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics

International Benchmarks

Academic Ranking of World Universities

Lebanon

1 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

47 of 63

Source: ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

QS World University Rankings

Lebanon

6 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

43 of 90

Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

Lebanon

2 institutions in the top 1,000

Global Rank

48 of 74

Source: Times Higher Education

Higher Education

Overview

Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE)

Arabic, English, French

2 semesters (15 to 18 weeks each) Fall semester: October to January Spring semester: February to May

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

Admissions

Institutions

Academic Qualifications

Technical Qualifications

Grading System

Enrollment

Total Enrollment

Gross Enrollment Ratio

International Benchmarks

Academic Ranking of World Universities

1 institutions in the top 1,000

47 of 63

QS World University Rankings

6 institutions in the top 1,000

43 of 90

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

2 institutions in the top 1,000

48 of 74

2 semesters (15 to 18 weeks each)

Fall semester: October to January

Spring semester: February to May