Established in 1976, Suez Canal University is an Egyptian higher education institution located near Ismailia on the west bank of the Suez Canal.
When courses first began in 1977 there were just six faculties: the faculty of science, the faculty of agriculture, the faculty of commerce, the faculty of engineering, the faculty of technology and the faculty of education. Today there are more than 20 faculties, divided between different branches of Suez Canal University in Ismailia, Suez, Port Said and El-Arish.
According to the university’s research plan, Suez Canal University are intending to become a centre of excellence in the field of applied scientific research and scientific innovation, as well as continuing to develop partnerships with universities across the world and to help provide practical solutions to the problems and needs of the Suez Canal and Sinai regions.
The Medical Education Department at the Suez Canal University (MED-SCU) was established in 2001 and was the first such department to be founded in Arab region Egyptian universities.
Ismailia is known in Egypt as the "City of Beauty and Enchantment", and is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city is about an hour and a half away from Egypt's capital, Cairo, by car, and a four-hour drive to the popular tourist spot Sharm el-Sheikh in South Sinai.
Ismailia hosts two festivals annually - the International Film Festival for Documentaries, and the Ismailia International Folklore Arts Festival - and the city's museum, built in 1932, features a range of archaeological finds, particularly from sites in the Ismailia governorate.
Suez Canal University is a very large institution - one of the largest in the region, with thousands of students enrolled studying at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree level.