The American University in Cairo welcomes international students to study at the university on a non-degree basis for a summer, winter term, semester or full academic year. These students usually enroll in their third or junior year of college; however, sophomores, seniors and individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree are welcome. AUC is recognized by many US colleges as an approved overseas study site for their students and has formal agreements with several institutions. While 80 to 100 foreign colleges a year may be represented on campus, a few of the institutions that regularly send students to AUC are Brown, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Northeastern and Tufts Universities, Kalamazoo College, and the University of Wisconsin.

The University has a number of exchange opportunities with colleges in the United States for its own degree-seeking students. The exchange institutions are Pennsylvania State University, the University of California, the University of Colorado, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), the University of St. Thomas, the University of Virginia, and the University of Washington as well as Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Full details on this exchange program are issued annually by the International Student Services Office.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences has a special exchange program with the University of East London, Faculty of Social Sciences, every spring semester.

To make study at AUC more accessible to students at public universities in the United States, AUC provides study abroad students from such universities with financial assistance sufficient to reduce their effective cost at AUC to the out-of-state semester equivalent tuition rate at their home institution if that is less than AUC's tuition for the same academic period. Information on this assistance and on the study abroad program at AUC is available through the New York Office.

A large number of students from Egypt and from more than thirty other countries normally attend AUC's summer session. While the majority are pursuing degrees at AUC during the academic year, many students who are not regularly enrolled at AUC join the summer session from mid-June through the end of July to pursue studies of their own interest.

Students can choose from a wide range of courses which are usually offered during the AUC summer session. Besides those courses that are usually oversubscribed during the academic year, every effort is made to offer courses of special interest to international students, such as Islamic art and architecture, Egyptology, Arab society, and Middle East-oriented courses in history, economics, and management.

Intensive courses at all levels in modern standard Arabic and in Egyptian colloquial Arabic are also offered during the summer session by AUC's Arabic Language Institute. This brings to the AUC campus more students from the United States and other countries to share with Egyptian students a truly international educational experience.

The winter session provides additional opportunities to students from the University and outside to take intensive courses for academic credit. The winter session courses are normally offered during the first three weeks of January.

Extracurricular activities are planned for the students and faculty, including trips and cultural events, such as performances of Arabic music and art shows. An informal athletic program offers basketball, volleyball, tennis, soccer, and table tennis. Seminars and special lectures by distinguished visitors are also an occasional part of the summer and winter sessions

Housing, board, medical, and other university services are provided on the same basis as during the academic year