Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University

What Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University does

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University is a public higher education institution headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, operating under the Saudi Ministry of Education and aligned with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 educational objectives. Founded in 1953 as the College of Sharia and formally established as a comprehensive university in 1974, it serves undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students through 20+ colleges and institutes spanning Sharia and Islamic studies, Arabic language, social sciences, education, science, engineering, medicine, nursing, business, and computer/information sciences. The institution is funded primarily through Saudi government budget allocations, with ancillary revenue from paid graduate (Master's and Doctorate) programs and Scientific Society memberships (200 SAR active / 100 SAR associate annually).

The university operates a unified digital services stack supporting academic and administrative functions: a Learning Management System (lms.imamu.edu.sa), student and faculty self-service portals, grade reporting, HR and financial management systems, and cloud services for faculty and staff. It publishes 40+ institutional datasets via the Saudi National Open Data Platform (open.data.gov.sa) through API endpoints, making faculty, student, financial, and research data publicly accessible. Its research output spans applied AI/ML (Edge AI IoT intrusion detection, groundwater hydrochemistry modeling, digital payment adoption analysis), engineering (vibration control, chemical process optimization), and interdisciplinary topics, often in collaboration with international partners.

The university's go-to-market is institutional rather than commercial: distribution runs through centralized admissions processes and self-service online portals (including a graduate admissions portal at imamu.adm.medad.com), with marketing via its official website, news portal, Twitter (@IMSIU_edu_sa), and Vision 2030-aligned national event participation. Strategic positioning emphasizes integration of Islamic values with academic excellence, alignment with national development priorities, and selective international research partnerships. The entity holds ISO 27001:2013 certification and a 2016 Digital Excellence Award (third place, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology), and has recently launched an Intellectual Property Policy Framework with structured commercialization incentives for inventors.

Name

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University

Legal name

Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (جامعة الإمام محمد بن سعود الإسلامية)

Website

https://imamu.edu.sa

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University is a public Saudi government university in Riyadh, founded in 1953 and operating under the Ministry of Education, serving undergraduate and graduate students across 20+ colleges and institutes via digital portals, LMS, and open data publishing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Higher education programs
• University degree programs
• Graduate research programs
• Distance e-learning
• Academic research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Graduate Program Tuition: The university generates revenue from paid graduate programs (Master's and Doctorate) including various academic disciplines such as Sharia, Arabic Language, Educational Administration, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology, Information Technology, and Computer Science.
2. Scientific Society Membership: Revenue from scientific society membership fees: 200 SAR for active membership and 100 SAR for associate membership.
3. Government Funding: As a public university under the Ministry of Education, primary funding comes from government budget allocations supporting educational mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University is a public Saudi university delivering higher education services across undergraduate, graduate (Master's and Doctorate), diploma, continuing education, parallel, and e-learning/distance education modalities. It enrolls students in 20+ colleges and institutes covering Sharia, Fundamentals of Religion, Arabic Language, Languages and Translation, Social Sciences, Education, Science, Business, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing, and supports them through electronic services portals, a Learning Management System, and an open data platform.

Product overview

Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University is a higher education institution offering undergraduate, graduate, and diploma programs across multiple colleges including Sharia, Fundamentals of Religion, Arabic Language, Languages and Translation, Social Sciences, Education, Science, Business, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing, among others. The university provides electronic services to students, faculty, and staff through unified portals including a Learning Management System (LMS), Faculty Self-Service, Student Self-Service, Human Resources system, financial management system, and cloud services. Academic programs span regular, parallel, e-learning, and continuing education modalities. The institution also operates research institutes, an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, a Data Management Office publishing open data, and community engagement units. The university does not operate a commercial product portfolio; its offerings are educational programs and administrative digital services for its academic community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Degree Programs Undergraduate Bachelor's degree programs across more than 20 colleges including Sharia, Fundamentals of Religion, Arabic Language, Languages and Translation, Social Sciences, Education, Science, Business, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, and Nursing for prospective students in Saudi Arabia.
• Master's and Doctorate Graduate Programs Paid graduate programs offering Master's and Doctorate degrees in the High Institute of Judiciary, Sharia, Fundamentals of Religion and Da'wah, Arabic Language, Educational Administration, Mathematics and Statistics, Psychology, Information Technology, and Computer Science for advanced-degree applicants.
• Parallel Education Programs Parallel-education modality allowing students to pursue equivalent academic programs on a paid basis in parallel to regular higher-education studies.
• E-Learning and Distance Education Electronic/distance-learning programs delivered through the university's Learning Management System (LMS) for learners seeking remote access to university courses.
• Continuing Education Programs Continuing-education courses and training programs for the broader community, complementing regular undergraduate and graduate offerings.
• Diploma Programs Diploma-level academic programs (Diploma Admissions 1446AH published in open data) providing shorter credential-bearing study options for prospective students.
• Scientific Association Membership (Tibyan) Annual membership in the Scientific Association of Quran and Its Sciences (Tibyan) for academics and community members, priced at 200 SAR for active members and 100 SAR for associate members.
• Electronic Services Platform Unified e-services platform providing student self-service, faculty self-service, grade reporting, human resources management, financial management, and email access for the university's internal academic community.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Social Development BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2025The Social Development Bank signed 51 agreements at the DeveGO25 Forum in Riyadh supporting various entrepreneurial, healthcare, energy, and social initiatives in Saudi Arabia under Vision 2030.
• AlibabaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2025International partnership through Social Development Bank agreements at DeveGO25 Forum supporting startup financing and job creation.
• IncofinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2025International entity partnered through Social Development Bank at DeveGO25 Forum for startup financing initiatives.
• National Committee for International Humanitarian LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 August 2025Partnership for spreading awareness of international humanitarian law across university facilities, documenting activities for national reports, integrating specialized content into educational and training paths, executing quality rehabilitation programs, building expert databases, coordinating media efforts, and engaging government entities in training tracks.
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (India)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership developing Edge AI Bridge - a micro-layer intrusion detection architecture for smart-city IoT networks. The system achieves 50ms detection latency with 0.972 ROC-AUC on CIC-IoT-2023 dataset.
• Natural Breastfeeding AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Faculty of Medicine and Natural Breastfeeding Association organizing awareness exhibition on breastfeeding during World Breastfeeding Week at King Abdullah City for Female Students.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Qatar University: The primary public university in Qatar with comprehensive faculties including Sharia, sciences, engineering, and medicine. Comparable as a Gulf public university with state funding, multi-college structure, and active research output, though operating in a different national jurisdiction.
• International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM): Malaysia's leading Islamic university integrating Sharia-compliant education with STEM and professional programs. Comparable as a regionally significant Islamic higher-education institution with international student intake and graduate programming across similar disciplines.

Direct peers

• King Saud University: The largest public university in Saudi Arabia, also headquartered in Riyadh under the Ministry of Education. Closely comparable as a comprehensive government university offering Sharia, sciences, engineering, medicine, and humanities to a multi-thousand employee academic community.
• Alfaisal University: Private, non-profit Saudi university in Riyadh offering programs in business, engineering, medicine, and sciences. Comparable as a Riyadh-based higher-education competitor targeting similar student segments and faculty talent pools, though operating under a private model.
• Islamic University of Madinah: Saudi public Islamic university focused on Sharia, Arabic, and Islamic sciences with significant international student enrollment. Comparable as a Ministry of Education-affiliated institution with deep religious-studies heritage and graduate programming.
• King Abdulaziz University: Large Saudi public university in Jeddah with broad faculties including Sharia, sciences, engineering, and medicine. Comparable as a comprehensive public Saudi university with similar Vision 2030 alignment and multi-college structure.
• Al-Azhar University: Egypt's preeminent Islamic university, founded over a millennium ago, with global influence in Sharia, Arabic, and Islamic sciences. Comparable as the leading global reference institution for Islamic higher education and a model for religious-academic integration.
• Prince Sultan University: Private Riyadh-based university offering programs in business, engineering, computer science, and humanities. Comparable as a direct Riyadh competitor for undergraduate and graduate students, with a more commercially flexible operating model.
• Umm Al-Qura University: Major Saudi public university in Makkah with strong Sharia and Arabic-language programs alongside STEM faculties. Comparable as a state Islamic university offering undergraduate and graduate programs across religious and secular disciplines.

Broad incumbents

• King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM): Saudi public STEM-focused research university in Dhahran. Comparable as a Ministry of Education-affiliated institution with large-scale research output and a multi-thousand academic workforce, though more concentrated on engineering and applied sciences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/__imamu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/761044

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University