The UCA Vision

The UCA Mission

UCA History

The Universal College of Aley (Al - Jamiaa Al Wataniya) was founded in 1907 and operated as a K-13 institution for many decades. Its founder, the late Elias Shibil - El Khuri, was a visionary who, through his enthusiasm, tenacity, leadership and  personal sacrifice, managed to keep the school open through World War I and World War II while maintaining very high  educational standards.

UCA is located in the city of Aley, which is just 16Km from Beirut on the Damascus Road.  The unobstructed mountain views of the city  of Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea from the UCA campus are breathtaking.

UCA has played a significant role as an educational institute for Aley, Lebanon and the Middle East since its establishment.  The school was a key provider of professional leadership in both the public and private sectors.  Graduates of UCA have achieved tremendous success and prominence in many career fields in Lebanon and around the world.

In 1983, UCA was forced to close its doors to students due to the impact of many years of political unrest in Lebanon and the resulting war damage to the campus and the surrounding areas.  The legacy of UCA, however,  was not extinguished by these events.

With the transition into the new millennium and the world wide sentiment of new beginnings, a vision of the UCA renewal and renovation began to take shape.  The initiative, courage and vision  of Mr. Walid Abushakra and several other key individuals resulted in a remarkable campus renovation project. They saw the renewal of UCA as a first step towards helping achieve a coherent society in Lebanon and around the world. Through their devotion to UCA, their vision has become reality.

   The new Universal College of Aley opened its doors to students for the first time since 1983 on October 4, 2001. Renovation of facilities on campus continues with an anticipated completion for the beginning of the 2002-2003 school year.

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