Inaugural graduations take place at the University of Hertfordshire’s Egypt campus
The first cohort of students graduated this weekend from University of Hertfordshire courses at the Global Academic Foundation (GAF) campus in Egypt. In a landmark moment for the partnership, 54 students were awarded degrees in Business, IT, Mass Communications and Pharmaceutical Sciences on Saturday 30 September.
GAF was founded in 2019 as the first fully-fledged branch of a UK university in Egypt, bringing students the same values, high-quality academic standards and career opportunities that Herts is known for in the UK. The 50-acre campus, located in the New Capital area southwest of Cairo, continues to develop through investment in the estate and through the delivery of new courses, producing graduates with the skills and knowledge to pursue successful careers with international employers.
More than 1800 students are now studying Herts courses at GAF across 14 subjects. Several students have also taken up study abroad experiences at our Hatfield site this year, and the University aims to welcome more next year – offering students fantastic cultural exchange opportunities as well as excellent higher education.
Professor Mairi Watson, Pro Vice Chancellor (Education and Student Experience) at Herts, hosted the graduation ceremony at GAF. She said: “These wonderful achievements are testament to the hard work of the students and staff here in Egypt, as well as the commitment of staff in the UK to bring this partnership to fruition – and to continue developing it even further. We are very proud of our long heritage of education that provides skills and opportunities for students from all backgrounds, and it is a real pleasure to work with GAF to extend these opportunities to more students in Africa and the Middle East.”
The University of Hertfordshire has been delivering overseas courses internationally for 25 years, since its first (and ongoing) partnership in Malaysia in 1994. This global network of partners now includes educational institutions as far afield as China, Pakistan, Brazil, Singapore and Indonesia, with almost 7000 students taking courses overseas at partner sites and via distance-learning programmes.
Jo Stuart, Pro Vice Chancellor (International and Marketing Communications) was in attendance at the graduation ceremony and commented on the importance of global partnerships at Herts:
“We believe that a global outlook is vital for a successful modern university, and we have a long history of international collaboration. It was fantastic to be at the ceremony last week to mark the well-earned successes of our first cohort – and with the GAF collaboration growing by the year. It’s just the first of many graduations we look forward to celebrating with our colleagues in Egypt.”
To find out more about the Herts campus in Egypt, or to apply for a place, visit the Global Academic Foundation website.