Talking Translation at Tahrir Square
Under the shade of the AUC Tahrir Square gardens, students from Sudan, Egypt, the United Kingdom and beyond shared proverbs in their native ...
Global connections
The Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) was founded at AUC in 1967 through the collaboration of American universities committed to offering intensive Arabic language and cultural studies for advanced students and academics. Since then, the program has graduated over 1,500 accomplished scholars and professionals.
The CASA program, recognized as a leading immersive Arabic-language initiative, provided American students with a full year of intensive Arabic study and cultural immersion, led by AUC’s esteemed faculty. Over time, it gained a reputation for producing graduates with highly sought-after language skills, propelling them into influential roles across professional and academic fields.
Today, maintaining the same standards of excellence it has built over more than a half century, AUC manages the CASA@AUC program independently under the Center for Advanced Arabic Study in Cairo (CAASIC), which also oversees a variety of advanced language programs.
The Department of Arabic Language Instruction (ALI) at The American University in Cairo (AUC) announces the release of the 2026 -2027 applications. Applications are open for serious, advanced Arabic language learners from all parts of the world. Applicants are advised to carefully read the Eligibility, Application and Selection Process before submitting their applications.
Deadline for Application: April 6, 2026.
Acceptance letters will be sent out in the last week of April.
To complete your application, follow these two essential steps:
Note: This electronic portfolio ensures your documents reach the program coordinators directly.
CEO and Founder, MapD
Associate Chair, Department of World Languages and Literature Associate Professor of Arabic and Comparative Literature, Boston University
Businessman; Philanthropist; Chairman and Founding Partner, TPG
Under the shade of the AUC Tahrir Square gardens, students from Sudan, Egypt, the United Kingdom and beyond shared proverbs in their native ...
Global connections
Students in the Center for Arabic Student Abroad (CASA@AUC) program are back to taking classes in AUC’s oldest building, the historic palace...
Widely recognized as the world's premier, full-immersion, Arabic-language program, CASA@AUC has trained more than 1,500 undergraduates, graduates and professors, who now occupy senior academic positions around the world and hold leading roles in the U.S. Department of State, international nongovernmental organizations and the private sector.
I immersed myself, absorbing Arabic and the Egyptian culture. Not only was I able to meet some of my best friends and become proficient in Arabic, but my own core beliefs in life's purpose dramatically transformed.
For people in the Middle East, and Egypt in particular, being friendly and polite is taken for granted. You walk down the street here and exchange more niceties in a morning than you do in a year in other places.
CASA Co-Director
yacout@aucegypt.edu
Executive Director
azzah@aucegypt.edu
Program Officer
casa@aucegypt.edu