Al Azhar University

What Al Azhar University does

Al Azhar University Gaza (AUG) is an independent, non-governmental Palestinian university established in 1991 in Gaza City by presidential decision under Yasser Arafat, operating across 12 faculties that deliver 80 bachelor's, 36 master's, and 5 doctoral programs to approximately 15,499 students (with females at roughly 50% of enrollment). Academic staffing ranges from 374 to 470 members across full professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and lecturers, supporting programs in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, Applied Medical Sciences, Science, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Economics, Arts, Education, Sharia, and Law. The Faculty of Medicine holds recognition from the British Medical Council and the United States, enabling international graduate mobility.

AUG's technology footprint is modest: a Moodle-based learning management system (moodle.alazhar.edu.ps), a digital repository for scholarly works, a student-facing mobile application on Android and iOS, and a student information/automation portal (autouniv.alazhar.edu.ps). Adjacent service centers — Drug Analysis (British/US Pharmacopeia standards), Food Analysis, Water and Environment Institute, Legal Clinic, and Continuing Education — extend the academic core into applied research, testing, and community-service revenue lines.

The institution is funded primarily through recurring tuition fees, supplemented by grants and partnerships with international bodies including UNDP, MSF, ICRC, Harvard, and the Reach Education Fund. Distribution is dominated by on-campus instruction, with select global reach via international exchange programs and hosted scientific conferences (ICBAS 2010, ICAMS 2017, ICM 2018, ICPS3, CRAFT). The university operates a main campus in Gaza City and is developing a second campus south of the city.

Name

Al Azhar University

Legal name

Al Azhar University Gaza

Website

https://alazhar.edu.ps

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Al Azhar University Gaza is an independent non-governmental Palestinian university in Gaza City, serving about 15,499 students across 12 faculties and ~370–470 academic staff, with tuition-funded undergraduate and graduate programs and a growing network of international academic and humanitarian partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAKAI

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Religious & Theological Colleges

SECONDARYEDAHAEAL

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Undergraduate academic programs
• Medical education
• Pharmaceutical sciences education
• Engineering and IT education

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaza City, Gaza Strip

HQ country

Palestinian Territories

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: The university generates revenue primarily through tuition fees from undergraduate and graduate programs across 12 faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Applied Medical Sciences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Al Azhar University Gaza is an independent non-governmental higher education institution that delivers undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs across 12 faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering and Information Technology, Applied Medical Sciences, Science, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Education, Sharia (Islamic Studies), and Law. The university complements its academic instruction via a Moodle-based e-learning platform and operates specialized service centers providing drug analysis, food analysis, water and environment research, and continuing education programs to the Palestinian community.

Product overview

Al Azhar University Gaza operates as a comprehensive higher education institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate academic programs across 11 faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, Applied Medical Sciences, and others. The university's product portfolio consists of educational services delivered through traditional classroom instruction and an e-learning platform (Moodle), complemented by specialized service centers including the Center of Drug Analysis and Research, Center of Food Analysis, Institute of Water and Environment, and Continuing Education Center. The institution also provides a digital repository for research assets and a mobile application for student access to university services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Academic Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Bachelor's degree programs across 12 faculties including Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Engineering and Information Technology, Applied Medical Sciences, Science, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Education, Sharia, and Law. Delivered to approximately 15,499 students in Gaza Strip.
• Graduate Academic Programs (Master's and Doctoral) Postgraduate programs including 36 master's programs and 5 doctoral programs across university faculties. Faculty of Medicine is internationally recognized by the British Medical Council and United States, enabling graduates to pursue further studies abroad.
• E-Learning Platform (Moodle)

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2017MoU provides physical therapy students with training opportunities in MSF clinics in Gaza Strip.
• Wits University (South Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2016Memorandum of Understanding for academic cooperation in Mathematics and Statistics. Wits University hosts academics from AUG for 4 months for research development and mutual lectures via video conferencing.
• Harvard UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement signed by Faculty of Medicine Dean for medical staff capacity building and courses for medical students to meet international standards.
• Harvard UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement signed with Faculty of Medicine to promote staff medical capacities and provide courses to medical students.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgreement for humanitarian cooperation and support programs.
• Complut Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for academic cooperation and exchange programs.
• University of JordanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for academic cooperation and research collaboration.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for development projects and research support.
• Bank of PalestineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMoU for banking services and potential student financial support programs.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bethlehem University: Palestinian higher education institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs. Competes for similar Palestinian student segments and delivers comparable humanities and science programs.
• An-Najah National University: Major Palestinian university with broad faculties including medicine, engineering, and sciences. Direct competitor for Palestinian students and similar MENA international partnership strategy.
• Birzeit University: Leading Palestinian university in the West Bank offering comprehensive programs across faculties. Competitors for the same Palestinian student market and faculty talent, with similar international partnership profiles.
• Al-Quds University: Palestinian university with multiple campuses and a Faculty of Medicine from which AUG's Faculty of Medicine originated as a branch. Closely linked institutional heritage and direct competitor.
• Islamic University of Gaza: Another major higher education institution in Gaza Strip, offering undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple faculties. Direct geographic and segmental competitor for Palestinian higher education students.

Broad incumbents

• University of Jordan: Established regional university with an MoU with AUG. Larger institution in a neighboring country serving as a regional hub for students from Palestine and the broader Middle East, and a potential destination for Palestinian graduates.
• Al-Azhar University (Cairo): The historic namesake institution in Cairo, founded in 970 AD as a center of Islamic learning. Comparable in name, Islamic heritage, and broad-based higher education mission; offers a model for scale and international reputation.
• Cairo University: One of the oldest and largest universities in the Arab world, with heritage tied to Al-Azhar's Islamic scholarly tradition. Comparable in role as a flagship institution providing comprehensive higher education across faculties.

Regional players

• University of Witswatersrand (Wits): South African research university with an active MoU with AUG for academic cooperation in Mathematics and Statistics. Comparable in hosting research exchange and serving international academic collaboration functions.
• Istanbul Medeniyet University: Turkish university with which AUG signed a joint scientific cooperation agreement in 2016. Comparable as a regional higher education partner with similar international engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Alazhar.Radio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/al-azhar-university-gaza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Al Azhar University