Ardhi University (ARU), located on Observation Hill in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is a public institution established in 2007 with roots tracing back to a Survey Training School founded in 1956. Over the decades, it evolved through phases as Ardhi Institute and later the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS), before becoming a fully-fledged university.
It stands out as the only institution in Tanzania, and one of the few in Africa, that integrates land-based and built environment disciplines under one academic umbrella. ARU comprises four main schools: Architecture, Construction Economics and Management; Earth Sciences, Real Estate, Business and Informatics; Engineering and Environmental Studies; and Spatial Planning and Social Sciences, offering a wide array of undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
ARU places a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. Students are routinely engaged in fieldwork, studios, industrial attachments, and project-based assignments that prepare them to address real-world development challenges in Tanzania and beyond.
The university is also a key partner in the SPRING Master’s Programme in Urban and Regional Planning, in collaboration with TU Dortmund University and other institutions, which focuses on planning in rapidly urbanizing regions.
Furthermore, Ardhi University actively contributes to sustainable development through research centers like the African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies and the Institute of Building Research, supporting innovations in urban resilience, low-cost construction, and land governance.
