Saint Joseph University of Beirut (Arabic: جامعة القديس يوسف في بيروت; French: Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, commonly known as USJ) is a private Catholic research university in Beirut, Lebanon, founded in 1875 by French Jesuit missionaries and subsidized by the Government of France during the time when Lebanon was under Ottoman rule.

[2][3][4] As the oldest French university in Lebanon, it promotes Lebanese culture and upholds a policy of equal admission opportunity without consideration of ethno-religious affiliations.

[8] USJ is the only university in the Middle East and the Arab world to follow the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), as well as having official recognition and compliance with the higher education regulations of Lebanon.

[20] In 2012, the Faculty of Economics launched a new master's degree in web science and digital economy, the first of its kind in the Middle East region.

The Social Sciences Campus (commonly known as "Huvelin" after its founder Paul-Louis Huvelin)[29] is known for its competitive bachelor programs that prepare students to pursue advanced master's degrees in top business and law schools in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, other Member States of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Canada.

Additionally, USJ proudly showcases prestigious institutions such as the Center for Arab Christian Research and Documentation (French: Centre de documentation et de recherches arabes chrétiennes (CEDRAC)), the Museum of Lebanese Prehistory, the Mim Museum for minerals and fossils and its two theaters: Le Béryte and Théâtre Monnot.

USJ houses the Bibliothèque Orientale, one of the oldest and most prominent research libraries of the Near East, and a repository for ancient valuable Oriental books and manuscripts.

[32] USJ's graduates includes seven Lebanese Presidents, a Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, two Presidents of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon, Governors of the Banque du Liban, numerous legislators, ministers, judges, and high-ranking civil servants, including Commanders of the Lebanese Armed Forces and executives of the Internal Security Forces.