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Fast Facts of the NYU Global Network

Posted on November 11, 2024 by Maxine P

While it is impossible to fully capture the breadth of the NYU global network, we rounded up some fast facts about the academic sites and cities where NYU students can study away. Whether they land at one of our three degree-granting campuses in New York City, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai or at our sites in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, DC, NYU students will have a rich academic experience supported by the University. Our newest site, NYU Tulsa, will officially open in spring 2025. Select students went to NYU Tulsa in spring 2024 for Alternative Breaks as well as during the summer for internship experiences.

The following information is accurate at the time of publication in fall 2024, but it is representative of a moment in time, so some information may change.

NYU Abu Dhabi

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 123*
Average class size: 16*
Number of courses available: 600+*
Number of residence halls: 3°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.90†
City population: ~600,000‡

NYU Accra

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 14*
Average class size: 5*
Number of courses available: 12*
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.90†
City population: ~1.9 million‡

NYU Berlin

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 77*
Average class size: 11*
Number of courses available: 30*
Number of residence halls: 2°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.06†
City population: ~3.5 million‡

NYU Buenos Aires

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 47*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 27*
Number of residence halls: 1, however, most students live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.76†
City population: ~13.1 million‡

NYU Florence

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 351*
Average class size: 24*
Number of courses available: 60*
Number of residence halls: 4, plus the option to live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.54†
City population: ~350,000‡

NYU Londonˣ

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 495*
Average class size: 22*
Number of courses available: 97*
Number of residence halls: 5°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.36†
City population: ~8.9 million‡

NYU Los Angeles

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 35*
Average class size: 11*
Number of courses available: 13*
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69†
City population: ~3.8 million§

NYU Madrid

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 284*
Average class size: 23*
Number of courses available: 51*
Number of residence halls: 3°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $1.92†
City population: ~3.2 million‡

NYU in New York City

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 535*
Average class size: <30*
Number of courses available: 2,500+*
Number of residence halls: 11°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69†
City population: ~8.3 million§

NYU Paris

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 257*
Average class size: 15*
Number of courses available: 68*
Number of residence halls: 3, plus the option to live in a homestay°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.13†
City population: ~2.1 million‡

NYU Prague

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 88*
Average class size: 8*
Number of courses available: 50*
Number of residence halls: 2°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $2.46†
City population: ~1.1 million‡

NYU Shanghai

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 95*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 250+*
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.95†
City population: ~22.3 million‡

NYU Sydney

Students in front of the Sydney Opera House

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 38*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 13* (Access to dozens of University of Sydney courses also available through direct enrollment.)
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.24†
City population: ~4.6 million‡

NYU Tel Aviv

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 16*
Average class size: 7*
Number of courses available: 14*
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $3.82†
City population: ~430,000‡

NYU Washington, DC

Average number of students studying away here each semester: 68*
Average class size: 17*
Number of courses available: 17*
Number of residence halls: 1°
Average cost of a cup of coffee: $4.69†
City population: ~680,000‡

°Additional student housing facilities are obtained as enrollment demands.

†Based on coffee prices in each country as of February 6, 2024 (Coffeestics.com)

‡Based on city population numbers (PopulationStat.com)

United States Census Bureau

ˣNYU London’s average number of students is anticipated to grow next semester due to the global site’s move to a larger academic center in the fall 2024 semester.

Repurposed with permission from NYU Global Notebook

NYU Students Selected as 2024–2025 Schwarzman Scholars

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Katie L

Five NYU students from all three degree-granting campuses were selected as 2024–2025 Schwarzman Scholars. The honor supports master’s degree study in global affairs at Schwarzman College within Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Bincheng Mao, a Liberal Studies senior at NYU; Valentin Josan, Sachintha Pilapitiya, and Addie Mae Villas, seniors at NYU Abu Dhabi; and Li Peirong, a senior at NYU Shanghai, were among the 150 scholars selected for the class that represents 43 countries and 114 universities around the world.

Bincheng will attend Harvard Law School after his time as a Schwarzman Scholar. He founded the East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, a charity inducted into the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, which focuses on combating anti-Asian discrimination. He also interned at the United Nations Development Programme.

Valentin, the chief of staff of NYU Abu Dhabi’s student government, interned at the Brunswick Group and cofounded both the first set of licensed TEDx education conferences and Model United Nations conferences in Moldova, his home country.

Sachintha helped found Default LK, an organization creating civic economic awareness in his home country Sri Lanka. Sachintha also conducted research at the Institute of Policy Studies in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Addie Mae served as the president of the Debate Union at NYU Abu Dhabi and cofounded the first-ever UAE Conference on Debate and Public Speaking for Women and Girls. While volunteering with Safe Passage 4 Ukraine, she has helped resettle over 800 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.

Li served as both NYU Shanghai’s student body vice president and president. Throughout his college career, he worked with TEDxNYU Shanghai, the NYU Shanghai Office of Admissions, and the NYU Shanghai Center for Career Development to bolster communication and connection between university community members.

Congratulations to the scholars!

Repurposed with permission from NYU News

Akkasah: Illuminating History Through Photography

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Maxine P

This summer, Akkasah, the photography archive at NYU Abu Dhabi’s al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art, released 1,500 digitized photographs from across the Middle East, with some photographs dating back to the 19th century. Located within the NYU Abu Dhabi Library, this remarkable collection houses a treasure trove of images that chronicle the history, culture, and transformation of the Middle East and beyond.

An example from the archive: Taken in 1949 by Ibrahim Omara, this image of Egyptian actresses Aziza Helmy and Laily Fawzy in the back of a car is available in the Samir Farid Collection.
Reference ID: ref34_000002

Origins of the Archive

This fascinating collection of the photographic heritage of the Middle East was established in 2014 by Professor Shamoon Zamir, who still serves as its director. “When I joined NYU Abu Dhabi, I very much wanted to make some kind of contribution to work in the region,” says Professor Zamir. After noticing a lack of Middle Eastern photography archives, he designed Akkasah to be completely accessible, both online and in person.

Akkasah acquires photos from donations, family albums, studios, and even flea markets. They also work with people who allow Akkasah to digitally archive their collections while they retain the physical copies of their photographs.

Once collected, each photo is individually cataloged with any available metadata, such as the subject matter and location. Although most archives catalog their collections folder by folder, Akkasah catalogs each photograph. It’s a time-consuming process, but the extensive metadata and easy searchability put Akkasah in a class of its own.

Scholarly Impact

With its diverse collection of roughly 40,000 images spanning the late 1800s to the present, Akkasah provides a unique window into the past. Anthropologists, historians, and social scientists from around the world have access to this invaluable resource, offering insights into education, religion, fashion, and more.

“There are both amazing surprises and expected things in there,” says Professor Zamir. Some subjects provoke questions, for instance, two women kissing in a Cairo photobooth in the 1940s.

Beyond its role as a scholarly resource, Akkasah opens its doors to students and the wider community by hosting exhibitions, seminars, and lectures. They have taught workshops on skills such as archiving and constructing photo books. And anyone can browse the archive in person or online.

“Anyone, academic or nonacademic, can make an appointment and see whatever they want to see,” says Professor Zamir. “In fact, we very much welcome it.”

Professional Development Opportunities

For students who want to learn even more about archiving, Akkasah offers paid internships. Undergraduates can gain valuable experience in photography, digitization, and curation.

A studio portrait of a seated woman wearing a dark dress

An example from the archive: This studio portrait of a seated woman comes from the Kadikoy Foto Aile in Turkey and is available in the Ozge Calafato Collection.
Reference ID: ref263

Emily Broad, a Raleigh, North Carolina, native who graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi in 2022 with a degree in Art and Art History, is one former intern. “Akkasah is one of the reasons why I applied to NYU Abu Dhabi,” says Emily. “I was able to develop my interest in photography not only as a practice but also as an academic discipline.”

As part of a summer research project, she cataloged a collection from the granddaughter of Butti Bin Bishr who worked closely with Sheikh Zayed, the United Arab Emirates’ founder. “I spent the whole summer talking with her and going through each image, dating them and writing descriptions. That was a unique experience because I got to work with someone who was high-level in the UAE as well as form a relationship with her through the archival work.”

Building on the skills she learned, Emily went on to do an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is now pursuing her PhD in Visual and Cultural Studies at the University of Rochester.

A Cultural Reservoir

Perhaps one of the archive’s most important roles is the preservation of cultural heritage. It documents traditions, customs, and art forms, helping safeguard the rich cultural tapestry of the Middle East. Anyone can stop in to reconstruct narratives, explore societal changes, and gain insights into the past.

Emily encourages students to take advantage of the unique resource. “Akkasah gives you a different look at the region than what people are used to, especially if you’re an American student,” she says. “I feel like we have preconceived notions about the Arab world that working with Akkasah really changed for me.”

Written by Kelsey Rexroat

For the Love of Art: An NYU Abu Dhabi Student’s Passion for Painting

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Katie L

Roudah Hamad Al Mazrouei

Roudhah Hamad Al Mazrouei, NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2024, recently won a Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance award and is excited to continue her artistic journey. She paints with a purpose: to find her own signature style. “I’ll keep painting until I find it,” she affirms.

Still, Roudhah has noted the fruits of her hard work (beyond the honor of an award), citing the improvements in her techniques, color mixing, and overall knowledge of color theory. She likes to keep her mind and hands busy, explaining that “it’s like the saying, ‘When a shark stops swimming—it dies.’”

This notion of continuing and moving forward is also evident in her approach to making art—when she’s almost finished a painting, she’s already thinking of her next piece.

Roudhah has always found it fascinating that a single brush stroke can eventually create a beautiful painting. “I also feel like I can express myself more when I create something,” she adds.

The award has only motivated Roudhah to continue striving for excellence and, of course, to continue painting. “I am excited to continue exploring new opportunities and projects, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for my professional and personal growth.”

Also helpful for Roudhah’s motivation and inspiration? NYU Abu Dhabi visiting assistant professor Shaika Rashid Al Mazrou who is one of her favorite Emirati artists. “I love the way she conveys her ideas in these very simplistic abstract sculptures… You would never imagine what tension looks like until after you look at her artwork.”

Repurposed with permission from NYU Abu Dhabi Latest News.

Books for Every Reader at NYU Abu Dhabi

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Katie L

While the NYU Abu Dhabi Library offers an array of academic books and resources for students and faculty, the recently launched Global Book Collection focuses on the curation of a collection based on a survey of favorite books and genres completed by contracted staff. “I think it’s an amazing initiative to give back to the contracted staff who supports the day-to-day running of the campus,” says Yuxuan Li. Yuxuan, an NYU Shanghai student studying away at NYU Abu Dhabi, learned about the initiative while seeking more opportunities beyond her business studies for the semester.

Launched in 2022, the Global Book Collection is the evolution of a used books program started by NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2014 alum Jin U Bak over eight years ago. The program was a way to promote sustainability culture at the University while giving new life to used books. Now it has blossomed into a joint partnership between the NYU Abu Dhabi Library and the Office of Social Responsibility (OSR).

NYU Abu Dhabi student Rawan Shaaban, along with Yuxuan, acted as an OSR assistant to catalog and tag literature for the collection’s launch. “People often think the library is only for students,” says Rawan. “With the global collection, it’s a space for everyone. I really like the initiative, and the fact that the books are in so many languages makes it very inclusive.”

The collection includes books in Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tagalog, and Urdu, with over 350 international titles on its shelves. Now the NYU Abu Dhabi Library not only reflects the University’s diverse community of students, faculty, and staff but also represents a myriad of languages commonly used by community members.

For example, Brendalle Belaza, a domestic worker who lives on campus, welcomes the initiative as a book lover and enjoys visiting the collection during her free time. “As I am starting to write my own stories, I love reading stories that are in Tagalog,” Belaza says.

OSR hopes to continue growing the collection year after year. “The library is thrilled to partner with the Office of Social Responsibility to build a collection around the interests and needs of our contracted colleagues, in their preferred languages. We are excited to continue working with our colleagues to develop the collection further based on their recommendations,” says Beth Russell, associate director for research services and strategy.

The collection is available to all NYU Abu Dhabi community members based on an honor system as well as open to requests for books and authors via a suggestion box located near the collection.

Repurposed with permission from NYU Abu Dhabi Latest News.

Visions for the Future

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Maxine P

At NYU Abu Dhabi, Thani AlMheiri imagines the United Arab Emirates that could be

Thani AlMheiri

Nobody can forecast the future. But NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2023 student Thani AlMheiri is trying his best. And he’s excited to be part of it. In fact, he points to his education at NYU Abu Dhabi for preparing him for his current work as a participant in a new United Arab Emirates (UAE) government initiative and beyond.

Thani is a member of the Futureneers program, run by the UAE’s Government Development and the Future Office, designed to bring “together young Emirati talents from various strategic fields to design ideas and solutions aiming to enhance the UAE’s readiness for the future.”

“Futureneers is an unpaid part-time position. It is more about being a board member and leading projects that prepare the country for the future,” Thani explains. A Philosophy major, Thani credits NYU Abu Dhabi with helping him dream big and develop his ambitions. After coming to NYU Abu Dhabi, he says, “My educational scope expanded dramatically thanks to the diverse and deep range of disciplines offered in its liberal arts curriculum.” Thani took part in the Academic Enrichment Program, which helps prepare Emirati students to succeed at NYU. The program focuses on developing qualitative, linguistic, and argumentation skills through three thematically integrated courses. Additionally, it provides robust mentorship for students as they transition to the University. “The team of professors and educators were the best, and I owe them a very special thank you. Without them, I wouldn’t have learned to think across disciplines and see the world from multiple perspectives,” says Thani. “The program was the first step in my Futureneers journey. It encouraged me to start reading about government and philosophy.”

Then Professor Matthew Silverstein’s Tolerance course cemented Thani’s newfound interest in ethics and politics. “The course taught me about the many views of religious toleration and how government involvement affects religious practice,” he says. He was hooked: “It really solidified my interest in government and philosophy, which ultimately led to my role as a Futureneer. Today, I hope to become a lawyer or philosophy professor and turn my education into practical service to better my growing country.”

As a Futureneer, Thani is doing just that. Working with others in his cohort, he confidently envisions a vivid and optimistic future for the UAE. “I believe the UAE can become an innovative green hub and, eventually, a carbon-free society. Education will be available to everyone, and everyone will contribute what they learn back to society,” he affirms. “I want this to be a place where pioneers can come and try out their craziest ideas, ones that would never be possible anywhere else.”

Repurposed and updated with permission from Meet NYU

Endless Opportunities: May Alhajeri, NYU Abu Dhabi, 2021

Posted on October 5, 2022, modified on October 6, 2022 by Katie L

As a youth delegate to the United Nations, May Alhajeri used her NYU Abu Dhabi education to build connections across cultures and opportunities for the United Arab Emirates’ future

May Alhajeri and Rashid Alrafie smile at the camera with UAE United Nations representatives

[from left to right] Mohamed Abushahab, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE; May Alhajeri; Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE; Rashid Alrafie; Amiera AlHefeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE

After graduation, May Alhajeri, NYU Abu Dhabi Class of 2021, was selected to be a United Arab Emirates youth delegate to the United Nations. This role allowed her to provide input on issues related to youth and participate in the UAE delegates’ daily work. In addition, the position gave May, a Political Science major, direct experience in foreign affairs and reassured her that she’d chosen the right career path. For May, being a UAE youth delegate to the UN in 2021 was excellent timing. That same year, the UAE celebrated its 50th anniversary; hosted the postponed Expo 2020 Dubai, which exhibited the world’s best examples of collaboration, innovation, and cooperation and was the first World Expo hosted in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region; and prepared to serve on the UN Security Council.

Learning and Working at the UN

During her time as a youth delegate, May worked on several initiatives, including the Our Common Agenda report that aims to strengthen youth participation in decision-making for the future, and events for the UN’s sustainable development goals. She also traveled to the UN headquarters in New York City where she met Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh and her team, who, according to May, are incredible examples of Emirati diplomacy abroad.

In addition, May had the opportunity to collaborate with other youth delegates across the UAE and the world. She counts that as her proudest accomplishment during the program.

“Working with other youth delegates opened my horizons to the endless opportunities of youth engagement and involvement globally. And it allowed me to witness the existing interest and devotion to addressing the issues that impact our collective future, such as climate change, poverty, access to education, and women’s empowerment,” she says.

Two youth delegates seated at UN general assembly hall seats

May Alhajeri with fellow UAE youth delegate, Rashid Alrafie, in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York City

Open-Mindedness as a Core Value

“Personally speaking, my main takeaway from those collaborations was the opportunity to be open and accepting. Being open-minded is a continuous practice that is not limited to a certain culture or geographical presence. The more you invest in a new culture, nation, or country, the more you unleash its potential and the better you can understand the world around you.”

May credits NYU Abu Dhabi with helping her prepare for the experience. “From the diverse student body to the high-level education I received there, NYU Abu Dhabi is one of the most influential pillars behind my personality today,” she says. “Every engagement with every student during my four years there made it that much easier to engage and interact with other delegates in the program. The education I received in my international relations courses served as a foundation for the practical experience I had during my time as a youth delegate.”

Focusing on the Future

Now that the program has finished, May is thinking about her future and is excited for the nearly endless options it holds. “Today, there are a million and one things I wish to contribute to. So, for right now, I’m taking each day on its own,” she says. Currently, May is an officer at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and a participant in McKinsey & Company’s Forward learning program for young talent. Most importantly, she is building upon the work she began at NYU Abu Dhabi and continued as a youth delegate to the UN by engaging with the development of opportunities for Abu Dhabi’s future every day.

This article is an update to NYU Abu Dhabi Latest News’ article, with updates written by Kristin Maffei.