Islamic University of Maldives

What Islamic University of Maldives does

Islamic University of Maldives (IUM) is a public higher education institution established in 2004 in Male', Republic of Maldives, and is positioned as the first Islamic university in the country. IUM operates seven Kulliyyahs (faculties) — Shari'ah and Law, Education, Economics and Management Studies, Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, Quran & Sunnah, and Arabic Language — and three Centres for Research and Publications, Postgraduate Studies, and Continuing Education, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, certificate, and diploma programs accredited by the Maldives Qualification Authority (MQA). Its main campus in Male' is supplemented by at least seven regional learning centres across islands (Thinadhoo, Ungoofaaru, Fonadhoo, Naifaru, Fuvahmulah, Addu Meedhoo), enabling nationwide delivery across the Maldivian archipelago.

IUM's core technology platform is built on a suite of integrated digital tools: Moodle LMS for online learning delivery, the KOHA Integrated Library System supporting the country's largest Islamic Finance Library (with collections from INCEIF, IRTI, and ISRA), an ISIMS admissions portal and student information management system, Google OAuth-based authentication, and Google Drive-hosted timetables. Supporting services include a certificate verification portal, helpdesk, jobs portal, official IUM Gazette, and academic journals (IJEMAT, IJEPED, IUMJOL, Al-Manhaj). The institution achieved ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 21001:2018 certifications in 2025 and recently launched the IUM Legal Clinic — the first legal clinic in the Maldives — alongside the IUM Journal of Laws.

IUM's business model is a tuition-driven subscription model anchored in B2C student fees across programs, supplemented by a smaller B2B/B2G stream of corporate training and professional development delivered through the Centre for Continuing Education (e.g., Training of Trainers for Maldives Customs Service). Go-to-market combines traditional admissions outreach (open days, education fairs, on-island learning centres) with self-serve digital channels (online admissions portal, Moodle LMS, Facebook presence). Distribution spans a main campus plus a multi-island regional centre network within the Maldives, supported by international academic partnerships (UniSZA Malaysia, UPSI Malaysia, Aga Khan University, University of Colombo) and a domestic government partnership (Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation) for campus development. Revenue, pricing, and detailed financial figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Islamic University of Maldives

Legal name

Islamic University of Maldives

Website

https://ium.edu.mv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Islamic University of Maldives is a public Islamic higher education institution in Male', Maldives, founded in 2004, operating seven faculties and three centres across a main campus and seven island learning centres, serving Maldivian students with MQA-accredited undergraduate, postgraduate, and certificate programs.

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
• Islamic studies
• Undergraduate programs
• Postgraduate programs
• Professional training

Headquarters

HQ city

Male

HQ country

Maldives

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Programs: IUM generates revenue through tuition fees from undergraduate, postgraduate, certificate, and diploma programs across six Kulliyyahs (faculties) and multiple centers.
2. Corporate Training Services: The Centre for Continuing Education provides professional development and training programs to organizations including the Maldives Customs Service.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IUM delivers accredited undergraduate, postgraduate, certificate, and diploma higher-education programs across six Kulliyyahs and three specialized centres, combining Islamic and modern disciplines. It also offers corporate training through its Centre for Continuing Education and operates digital learning infrastructure (Moodle LMS, ISIMS portal) alongside the largest Islamic Finance Library in the Maldives.

Product overview

Islamic University of Maldives operates a comprehensive digital platform for higher education delivery. The core infrastructure consists of the main website (ium.edu.mv) for institutional information, the ISIMS Admissions Portal (admissions.ium.edu.mv) for prospective student applications, a Student Portal (students.ium.edu.mv) for enrolled students, Moodle LMS (moodle.ium.edu.mv) for course delivery and e-learning, and an ISIMS Lecturer Portal (isims.ium.edu.mv) for faculty administration. Supporting services include the IUM Library with KOHA integrated system, timetable management, staff directory, IUM Gazette for policies and announcements, certificate verification service, helpdesk support, and jobs portal. The university also publishes academic journals (IJEMAT, IJEPED, IUMJOL, Al-Manhaj) and has recently launched the IUM Legal Clinic as a practical legal education initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IUM Legal Clinic: First Legal Clinic in the Maldives dedicated to access to justice and practical legal education.
• IUM Library

Products and services

• Undergraduate Programs MQA-accredited undergraduate degree programs covering Islamic studies, Shari'ah and Law, Education, Economics and Management Studies, Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, Quran & Sunnah, and Arabic Language, delivered to Maldivian students through the main Male' campus and seven regional learning centres.
• Postgraduate Programs MQA-accredited master's and doctoral programs including the first PhD in Education and the first Doctor of Philosophy in Management and Leadership offered in the Maldives, supporting advanced academic study and research for Maldivian scholars.
• Certificate and Diploma Programs Shorter-form accredited certificate and diploma qualifications offered through the Kulliyyahs and Centre for Continuing Education, providing alternative pathways for students and working professionals seeking specialised credentials.
• Corporate Training Services Customised professional development and 'Training of Trainers' programs delivered by the Centre for Continuing Education to government ministries and private-sector organisations such as the Maldives Customs Service.
• IUM Library Services Library and research services powered by the KOHA Integrated Library System, providing students and faculty access to the largest Islamic Finance collection in the Maldives along with resources from INCEIF, IRTI, and ISRA.
• IUM Legal Clinic The first Legal Clinic in the Maldives, offering practical legal education, access-to-justice services, and clinical training opportunities for IUM Shari'ah and Law students.

Quantifiable outcome

• First PhD in Education awarded in the Maldives (Hamid Ali, 2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIslamic University of Maldives signed an MoU with Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Malaysia for academic collaboration. The MoU was signed by Vice Chancellor Dr. Ibrahim Zakariyya Moosa and UniSZA Vice Chancellor Prof. Dato' Dr. Hasan Basri Bin Awang Mat Dahan.
• Ministry of Dhivehi Language, Culture and HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU signed to strengthen the technical capacity of the Ministry's Heritage Centre through various academic and professional programs conducted by IUM, marking a significant step in preserving and promoting Maldivian heritage through institutional partnership.
• Fahi Dhiriulhun Corporation (FDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric MoU signed for campus development projects across different islands. This partnership aims to bring modern campuses, better facilities, and greater access to education for students nationwide.
• Maldives National University (MNU) LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-Library Loan Service agreement signed between IUM Library and MNU Library on 14 January 2021 to provide access to more resources for users of both universities with the aim of sharing resources.
• International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF)minorOthersEstablished a rich books and journals collection consisting mostly of research materials from INCEIF Malaysia. Subscribed to INCEIF KMC Portal for Islamic Finance and Banking students and lecturers.
• Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI)minorOthersEstablished a books and journals collection from IRTI Saudi Arabia consisting mostly of research materials.
• International Shari'ah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA)minorOthersEstablished a books and journals collection from ISRA Malaysia consisting mostly of research materials.
• Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelegates from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia visited IUM to discuss possibilities of working together and how both institutions can assist each other on different activities and programs.
• Maldives Customs ServicecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCentre for Continuing Education conducted a 'Training of Trainers' program specifically designed for officers of the Maldives Customs Service to strengthen capacity in delivering core customs training courses.
• Aga Khan UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIPCA research project funded by GPE KIX and IDRC conducted jointly with IUM researchers. Team visited implementation schools in Sri Lanka alongside Aga Khan University and University of Colombo members.
• University of ColombocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIPCA research project collaboration involving joint visits to child-to-child model implementing schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• MyGuide MalaysiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with MyGuide Malaysia to organize Strategic Planning for Dawah Workshop.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI): Malaysian teacher-training university and IUM's MoU partner. UPSI's focus on education and pedagogy is directly comparable to IUM's Kulliyyah of Education, particularly for teacher-training programme development.
• Aga Khan University: International research university with presence in South Asia and explicit research partnership with IUM (SIPCA project). AKU is an adjacent peer operating in education and research relevant to IUM's growing research ambitions.

Broad incumbents

• International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM): Malaysia's flagship Islamic university offering integrated Islamic and modern disciplines across many Kulliyyahs. IIUM is the most established regional Islamic university model that IUM explicitly mirrors through its own Kulliyyah structure and UniSZA partnerships.
• Al-Azhar University: Egypt's historic global Islamic university and the gold-standard reference for Islamic higher education worldwide. Al-Azhar represents the ultimate benchmark IUM's Kulliyyah of Quran & Sunnah and Shari'ah programmes aspire toward in academic depth.
• International Islamic University, Islamabad: Pakistan's flagship Islamic university offering integrated Shari'ah and modern programmes. Comparable in mission and structure to IUM, and serves a South Asian Muslim student market that overlaps with potential Maldivian outbound students.

Direct peers

• Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM): Malaysian public university integrating Islamic and conventional sciences. USIM is closely comparable to IUM in mission and faculty structure (Kulliyyahs of Shari'ah, Economics, Education) and represents a regional peer for benchmarking academic quality.
• Maldives National University (MNU): The Maldives' main secular public university and IUM's domestic counterpart. MNU competes for the same Maldivian student pool but in secular disciplines, and has a signed inter-library loan partnership with IUM.
• Islamic University of Science & Technology, Kashmir: Indian public university combining modern sciences with Islamic studies. IUST offers comparable Kulliyyah-style faculty structure and is a regional peer in South Asia for Islamic higher-education benchmarking.
• Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA): Malaysian public Islamic university and direct MoU partner of IUM. UniSZA offers comparable Kulliyyah-based programmes in Shari'ah, education, and economics, and serves as the closest cross-border academic collaborator for curriculum and faculty exchange.

Emerging players

• Islamic University of Technology (IUT), Dhaka: Subsidiary of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, IUT offers engineering and technical programmes with an Islamic foundation. It represents an alternative model for an Islamic-themed university that could compete with IUM for international Muslim students in South Asia.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IUM.Official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/islamic-university-of-maldives-ium

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Islamic University of Maldives