Our Founding Purpose

At AUP, we are proud of our global community and the work our graduates do across the world – in the words of our founder, Dr. Lloyd DeLamater – to “transcend the bounds of narrow nationalisms.”

American Model, Global Outlook

The American University of Paris is the first university established in Europe based on the American model of education. But it was never truly an “American” university, since, from the start, it challenged any hint of nationalism or monoculturalism. AUP is an institution with a global outlook and a humanist vision of education, anchored on the principles of open-mindedness, cooperation, community and commitment to the diversity of the world. These are the values AUP founder Dr. Lloyd A. Delmater set out to encourage when he established the University in 1962 and declared his desire to transcend the bounds of “narrow nationalisms.” Through over 60 years of history, AUP has been a beacon for thinkers that think and act internationally, and is today truly a hub of engaged scholarship and liberal arts learning.

Growth and Continuity

Born out of the idea that cultural fluency, multilingualism, and understanding of difference were not to be taken for granted, and were in fact essential to peace-keeping, since its early days AUP has placed these competencies at the forefront of the learning experience it provides. As our University has grown and thrived, now offering 14 majors and seven distinct graduate programs with a multitude of tracks and opportunities for specialization, the initial footprint left by our founder has become even more ingrained in the reality of the education we offer to students who come to Paris from across the globe

Graduating students

Since 1962 our mission has been to provide students from all over the globe with a life-changing university experience that crosses disciplines, cultures and borders, enabling them to achieve their professional goals wherever they choose to go.

From Paris to the World

The American University of Paris is a place where students come, with an open mind, to build the path to their future. It is a place of transition, transformation and life-changing experiences that they carry with them to the cities, countries and civil societies they will live in, having learned to act responsibly and with respect for all the differences they may find in the world and among those around them.

The intercultural fluency and navigation of difference we privilege at AUP sets students apart as they pursue their unique paths as part of the community our founder set out to start, already imagining that our future world would require such individuals, educated to be living examples of the transformations he hoped to see in the world.

Learn More About Our Academic Approach