AlMustafa International university ( MIU )

What AlMustafa International university ( MIU ) does

Al-Mustafa International University (MIU) is a private international Islamic academic institution headquartered in Qom, Iran, founded in 1979 (1358 Iranian calendar) and led by President Ayatollah Dr. Ali Abbasi. It serves students globally — both Iranian and non-Iranian — through a dual-track educational system combining traditional hawza (seminary) education at Levels 1-5 with academic degree programs across undergraduate, master's, and doctoral levels. The university operates across three major knowledge domains: Islamic Sciences, Humanities, and Cultural-Linguistic Studies, with instruction in 41 languages via its Virtual University (mou.ir, est. 2003/1382). Students are recruited globally through an online admissions and assessment portal (isampa.miu.ac.ir), international representation offices, and the Institute for Short-Term Training and Study Opportunities (istes.miu.ac.ir).

The institution runs an extensive digital ecosystem comprising 12+ integrated platforms: a central institutional portal (miu.ac.ir), a journal management system (journals.miu.ac.ir) hosting 116 academic journals with 10,958 articles and 1,439 issues, a comprehensive student information system (ssaja.miu.ac.ir), a digital library, an alumni platform, a cultural-educational management system, a nutrition platform, an international invitation system, and a researchers system. These systems are powered in part by SinaWeb's journal management technology and supported by ISC indexing with DOI assignment. The university maintains 10 wholly-owned core operating subsidiaries organized as academic complexes (Quran & Hadith, Islamic Humanities, Fiqh & Usul, Wisdom & Religious Studies, Language & Literature, History & Civilization, Bint al-Huda women's studies, Virtual University, Short-Term Training, and Language/Islamic Studies Center), plus 6 documented domestic educational units (Qom, Khorasan, Golestan, Isfahan, Tehran/Alborz, Markazi) and international representations in Turkey, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Revenue is generated through tuition and academic fees (recurring), journal publication fees (6,000,000 Rials review fee, 11,000,000 Rials publication fee per article), and short-term training program fees. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on international conferences, cultural events, foreign academic institution collaborations, and the multilingual digital platforms. The university hosts 9+ international conferences in 2025 across topics including Islamic Resistance Discourse, Farabi philosophy, Quranic thought, Iran–East Asia relations, and Humanity and Freedom, partnering with entities such as the World Assembly of Ahl al-Bayt, Qom Seminary, and 30+ domestic/international academic centers. Journal content is indexed in ISC, WOS, Scopus, and SJIF databases, generating 3.78 million article views and 2.07 million downloads.

Name

AlMustafa International university ( MIU )

Legal name

Al-Mustafa International University (جامعة المصطفی العالمیه)

Website

https://miu.ac.ir

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Al-Mustafa International University (MIU) is a private international Islamic academic institution in Qom, Iran, offering dual hawza-seminary and academic degree programs in 41 languages across Islamic Sciences, Humanities, and Cultural-Linguistic Studies to Iranian and international students, supported by a 116-journal publishing platform and global educational units.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Islamic Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Affiliated Private Research Universities (EDAHABAJ), Online International & Cross-Border Universities (Global/Transnational Providers) (EDAHALAL), Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

Keywords

• Islamic higher education
• Seminary academic programs
• Distance learning university
• Academic journal publishing
• Multilingual Islamic studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Qom

HQ country

Iran

HQ region

Middle East

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Revenue generated from student tuition and fees across undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and seminary (hawza) programs. The admissions portal (isampa.miu.ac.ir) processes registration fees and examination fees for prospective students. Programs span long-term in-person (بلندمدت حضوری) and virtual/distance formats for students in Iran and abroad.
2. Academic Publication Services: Revenue from journal publication activities including article processing charges. Journals charge review fees (6,000,000 Rials) and publication fees (11,000,000 Rials) for accepted manuscripts, as documented in journal guidelines.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Al-Mustafa International University is a private international Islamic university offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and seminary (hawza) programs across Islamic sciences, humanities, and cultural-linguistic studies. It delivers education through in-person units across Iran and abroad, a virtual/distance learning university, and an academic journal publishing platform hosting 116 journals.

Product overview

Al-Mustafa International University operates as a multi-platform digital ecosystem comprising a central institutional portal, a comprehensive journal management system hosting 116 academic publications, multiple academic management systems (student information, library, alumni, nutrition), and a virtual/distance learning university. The university offers programs in Islamic sciences (fiqh, usul al-fiqh, Quran, hadith, philosophy, theology, ethics, history) and humanities (education, law, psychology, economics, sociology, political science, banking, communications, management, and languages including Persian, Arabic, English, French, Russian). The ecosystem also includes specialized research complexes, international conference programs, and a short-term training institute, serving students globally through both in-person and distance modalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Degree Programs Long-term undergraduate academic degree programs offered in Islamic sciences, humanities, and cultural-linguistic studies, available to Iranian and international students through in-person and virtual formats.
• Graduate and Doctoral Programs Master's and doctoral (PhD) degree programs in Islamic sciences, humanities, and cultural-linguistic studies, with admissions managed via the online assessment portal (isampa.miu.ac.ir).
• Hawza (Seminary) Education Program Traditional Islamic seminary (hawza) education covering Levels 1-5 (ijtihad track), integrated with modern academic standards and recognized by international academic institutions.
• Al-Mustafa Virtual University (Distance Learning) Virtual university (mou.ir) established in 2003 offering distance education across 41 language programs, enabling global access for students unable to attend in-person classes.
• Institute for Short-Term Training and Study Opportunities Institute (istes.miu.ac.ir) hosting professors, doctoral students, and researchers from around the world for intensive short-term training courses and study opportunities in Iran, across diverse religious and cultural groups.
• Academic Journal Publishing Platform Comprehensive journal management platform (journals.miu.ac.ir) hosting 116 academic journals with 1,439 issues and 10,958 articles, covering Islamic sciences, humanities, and social sciences, with article processing charges of 6,000,000 Rials (review) and 11,000,000 Rials (publication).

Quantifiable outcome

• 116 journals, 1,439 issues, 10,958 articles published, 3,784,347 article views, 2,065,884 downloads
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• World Assembly of Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH) (مجمع جهانی اهل بیت علیهم السلام)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025The World Assembly of Ahl al-Bayt collaborates with Al-Mustafa's Institute for Short-Term Training and Study Opportunities to organize the International Conference on 'Prophet Mercy; Inspiration for Civilization, Ethics, and Global Dialogue.' This is a significant partnership bringing together two major Shia religious and educational institutions for scholarly exchange.
• Qom Seminary (حوزه علمیه قم)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Qom Seminary represents Iran's traditional religious education center. Al-Mustafa collaborates with the Seminary through shared educational standards, curriculum development, and joint academic events. The university's educational system follows Qom Seminary standards while integrating international academic standards.
• 30+ Internal and External Iranian Academic CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Higher Complex of Islamic Humanities at Al-Mustafa collaborates with over 30 centers inside and outside Iran to execute international conferences including the International Conference on Islamic Resistance Discourse in Humanities. These partnerships span academic institutions, research centers, and cultural organizations.
• Al-Mustafa Turkey Representation (نمایندگی دانشگاه المصطفی در ترکیه)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAl-Mustafa's Turkey representation is a key international branch co-organizing the International Farabi Conference (September 27-28, 2025, Istanbul) alongside the university's Hikmat and World Religions Complex. Located in Istanbul, it serves as a hub for regional cooperation and academic exchange.
• Hikmat and World Religions Complex (مجتمع حکمت و ادیان)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hikmat and World Religions Complex at Al-Mustafa co-organized the International Farabi Conference with the Turkey representation, focusing on Farabi's philosophical and scientific legacy. The complex also collaborates with Turkish research centers including the مدار research institute in Turkey.
• Farabi Research Institute, Turkey (مرکز مطالعاتی و تحقیقاتی مدار ترکیه)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe مدار research institute in Turkey collaborates with Al-Mustafa's Turkey representation and Hikmat Complex on the International Farabi Conference, contributing to scholarly exchange on Islamic philosophy and Farabi's intellectual heritage.
• International Center for Islamic Studies (ISC) (پایگاه استنادی علوم جهان اسلام)coreTechnology or IntegrationAl-Mustafa journals are indexed through ISC (Islamic World Science Citation Center), providing international scientific credibility and citation tracking for the university's academic publications. ISC also provides Digital Object Identifier (DOR) assignment services for published articles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Al-Azhar University: The world's pre-eminent international Islamic university (Sunni), headquartered in Cairo. It is the closest institutional analog to MIU in combining traditional religious (though Sunni) seminary education with modern academic degrees and a global student body from across the Muslim world.
• Imam Sadiq University: An Iran-based private university with an explicit Islamic orientation across humanities and management disciplines. Shares MIU's Iran-headquartered, faith-affiliated positioning and serves overlapping Iranian and international student pools.
• Al-Qarawiyyin University: The world's oldest continuously operating degree-granting institution, located in Fez, Morocco. A historic Islamic educational institution still issuing recognized credentials in Islamic sciences and humanities, with a similar dual traditional-academic identity to MIU.
• International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM): Malaysia's international Islamic university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in Islamic revealed knowledge, humanities, and sciences to a multinational student body. Closely parallels MIU in integrating Islamic and conventional academic tracks across multiple languages.
• International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI): Pakistan's federal Islamic university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in Islamic studies, law, engineering, and social sciences to a multi-national student body. Directly comparable in integrating Islamic scholarship with modern academic credentials.
• Allameh Tabataba'i University: Iran's largest public humanities-focused university and a major center for Islamic and social sciences. The leading domestic competitor for Iranian graduate students in humanities and the closest national-academic parallel to MIU's research-oriented profile.
• Islamic University of Madinah: Saudi Arabia's flagship international Islamic university,招收 students from across the Muslim world for both Islamic sciences and bachelor's/master's programs. Highly comparable in mission, global recruitment posture, and dual religious-academic credentialing.

Broad incumbents

• University of Tehran: Iran's oldest and largest comprehensive research university. A broad-incumbent peer with overlapping doctoral and humanities programs; not faith-affiliated but competes for the same Iranian and international graduate student pool that MIU targets.

Emerging players

• Bayyinah Institute: A US-based digital-native Islamic education platform offering Quranic and Islamic studies instruction via online video and structured programs. Represents the sanctions-immune, digital-first competitor whose growth could erode MIU's Virtual University reach into English-speaking learners.

Others

• Qom Seminary (Hawza Ilmiyya): The traditional Shia seminary system headquartered in Qom, Iran. MIU's hawza track explicitly follows Qom Seminary standards and the two institutions collaborate as mutual strategic partners serving the same seminary student demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@elmustafaegitimtv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/almustafa-international-university-miu-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AlMustafa International university ( MIU )