The American University of Athens incorporated in the state of Delaware, under its corporate laws and regulations in 1994, is a private international university conferring Bachelors and graduate degrees under authority of a charter granted by the Delaware Board of Education.

The American University of Athens incorporating The College of Southeastern Europe (USA) Inc. has been established as an independent, non-sectarian, co-educational, post-secondary institution following the traditional patterns of an American university education.

Since its first day of operation, AUA has endeavored to combine a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs with a series of public lectures with distinguished speakers, debates and seminars in order to broaden the interests of its student body and contribute to the cultural life of the English-speaking community of Athens.

Our University began its first operation in Athens, Greece as Southeastern College in affiliation with the College of Engineering of Boston University. It was founded with the mission of creating an English-language college based on high standards of conduct and scholarship that would foster modern education, discipline and good character in future leaders of Greece and the region by preparing individuals to assume more meaningful and productive roles in the development of their societies.

As a small post-secondary institution at that time, its objective was to make the latest developments of Engineering and Applied Science available to the students of Greece and Europe.

Other objectives included the design of an unusually strong, high demand program to assist Greek/European industry in its modernization and economic development, and the encouragement of cultural interaction on the part of students who will become leaders in their own countries.

In 1983 a three-two plan was initiated in Engineering and Applied Science with Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, thus expanding the program and offering more opportunities to students.

Recognizing that a broadly based liberal arts education is fundamental to the programs of the institution, a Liberal Arts and Business Administration program was launched in 1985 providing a range of undergraduate studies in both fields.

In 1987 a dual degree program was established with the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) of George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Subsequently, the institution established a number of affiliations/transfer articulation agreements with Teikyo Post University (1992), Geneva College, Ohio (1991), Sarah Lawrence College, New York (1991), Hofstra University, New York (1991), Goldey-Beacom College, Delaware (1991), City University of New York (1998), and others.

A large number of students transferred to more than 50 distinguished US universities, i.e. Temple University, Northeastern University, Western New England College, New York Institute of Technology, University of Miami, and University of New Haven.

Hundreds of the first Bachelor degree graduates were admitted to Masters programs in the United States and the United Kingdom. (Please refer to lists on accompanying pages.)

In 2001, in close cooperation with the Institute of Legal Executives, a new program of Law was established following the pattern of Greek Act 152/2000 (EU Act 95) concerning lawyers in the European Union and the legal framework of Greek Act 165/2000 (EEC Acts 88/99 and 89/99).

In 2002, the degree programs of Engineering were extended to Masters degree level in all areas of Engineering.

A School of Graduate Studies was formed offering Masters degrees, thus marking the transformation of AUA from a teaching institution to a teaching and research institution.

By putting quality education first and with an able and talented student body, an excellent and productive faculty and concerned and supportive administration, the University has earned its fine reputation.