Amman Arab University, abbreviated AAU, is a private university in Amman, Jordan. It was established in 1997 as a non-profit private university for graduate studies. AAU was the first Jordanian university to specialize in postgraduate programs for masters and doctoral studies. On 30 September 1998, the university received a permit from Higher Education Council. The first group of students began studying there in 1999/2000. Initially the university offered only graduate programs but it began to accept undergraduates in 2009. That year its name was changed to Amman Arab University.