The Lebanese University was established in 1951 to serve the diverse social groups that make up Lebanese society, and to provide a high-level institution in which students can acquire university degrees. It was launched amid a growth in the number of students in grades 10 to 12. The first departments were The High House of Teachers and The Statistics Center. On 3 December 1951, the first class of 68 students entered the university, under the efforts of many professors and educated personalities, and the support of the Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury.