Near East University

Near East University is a private higher education institution in North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus.

Established in 1988, the university is the largest in Northern Cyprus, boasting more than 26,000 students and 1,200 academic staff. Near East University has a strong international student community, too – more than 100 nationalities are said to be enrolled on courses at any one time.

It has 20 faculties comprising 220 departments, as well as four vocational training centres, eight graduate schools, 28 research institutes and three associated high schools.

Subjects are wide ranging and include arts, sciences, law, medicine, fine art and design and veterinary medicine.

The university’s medical faculty was opened in 2008, with an adjacent teaching hospital finished in 2009. The hospital is also home to a number of state-of-the-art research centres and has received a number of awards since its opening.

Students here enjoy a rich social life: the university campus is a short distance from Nicosia city centre, and easily reachable by bus. On site, a 700-seat auditorium hosts congresses, concerts, shows and the annual international Cyprus Theatre Festival.

Performance and creative arts are an important part of university life, and the campus is home to three additional theatres, a university radio station, a television studio, as well as three museums dedicated to communications, art and classic cars.

Also on campus is a 15,000 square metre library known as Grand Library, accessible to students 24 hours a day.

Students are encouraged to take part in sports clubs and teams – a big part of the Cypriot culture. Near East University is known for its synchronised swimming team, which takes part in national and international competitions. The university is also home to an Olympic-sized swimming pool – the only one in Cyprus – as well as a health and wellness centre.

Near East University scored in the top 200 universities for quality education in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for 2020.