Gulf University for Science & Technology (GUST) is the first private university established in Kuwait. It has a dual-enrollment agreement with the University of Missouri–St. Louis. History The university was to be a supplement to Kuwait University, the only institution of higher education in Kuwait at that time, and to serve the educational demands of the local society and the Persian Gulf region. In January 1997, Kuwaiti Academic Group, composed of 41 faculty members from Kuwait University, was founded to lay the foundation for the proposed “University of the Future.” Their studies culminated in a vision of the “Gulf University for Science & Technology.” A partnership was established with the University of Missouri at St. Louis (UMSL), the international counterpart university chosen to help bring the university to fruition. The development was facilitated by the Private Universities Decree, No. 34, issued by the State of Kuwait in 2000, resulting in the establishment of a temporary campus in Hawally. The issuance of Emiri Decree No. 156 in 2002 completed the legal establishment of GUST as the first private university in the State of Kuwait and permitted the start of the first academic year in 2002–2003. At its first commencement ceremony in June 2007, GUST conferred diplomas on approximately four hundred graduates. Admissions and registration Admissions Admission to GUST is on a competitive basis. Applicants are reviewed based on high school performance and achievement on the GUST English and Mathematics Placement Tests. Applicants are encouraged to submit the results of a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Test scores must be no more than two years old at the time of application. Students who do not have a valid TOEFL score must take the GUST English Placement Test. Academic services Scholarships and student employment Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education (Private Universities Council) Scholarships GUST Scholarships GUST Summer Scholarship (for Study at UMSL) Student Employment Center for Career Services and Alumni (CCSA) The Center of Career Services and Alumni provides career-planning services to GUST students and alumni. A. M. Al-Refai Library GUST's library was established in 2002 to serve the university faculty, staff, students, and alumni. On June 20, 2006, the library was renamed the Abdullah Mubarak Al-Refai (A. M. Al-Refai) Library in honor of the late Dr. Abdullah Mubarak Al-Refai, President from 2003–2005. The library has books, e-books, journals, e-journals, audiovisual materials, and bibliographic/full-text databases. The library has a collection