Qalam Seminary

What Qalam Seminary does

Qalam Seminary is a private Islamic seminary founded in 2013 and headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, operating under the Qalam Foundation parent entity. It delivers traditional Sunni (Hanafi) religious education structured around a five-year undergraduate Alim program and a one-year graduate Takhassus specialization, supplemented by part-time and youth tracks. The institution serves approximately 600 active students—out of 1,200+ cumulative students served and 859+ graduates since founding—through a dual-channel model: in-person instruction on a 45,000-square-foot Carrollton campus and synchronous remote delivery via Zoom for distance and international learners (international students are admitted online only, with no visa sponsorship).

The curriculum is grounded in classical texts covering tafsir, hadith, fiqh, Arabic, and aqidah, taught by faculty holding traditional ijazah-sanctioned credentials from seminaries in the Middle East and South Asia. The underlying technology stack is commodity educational infrastructure—Canvas LMS, Classter SIS, SEAtS attendance tracking, and Zoom for synchronous delivery—with no proprietary platform, custom AI, or differentiated technical components.

The revenue model combines tiered tuition with philanthropic donations. Annual tuition is structured by program year: $9,500 (Year 1), $8,900 (Year 2), $8,400 (Years 3–5), and $5,100 (Takhassus), with one-time application and enrollment fees on top. The institution reports $4.5M+ in cumulative scholarships granted and ~$3M in financial aid over three years, and operates a monthly "Sustainer" recurring donation program that supplements tuition revenue. The Qalam ecosystem (Seminary, Institute, Research, Foundation, Travel) functions as a funnel from youth/part-time tracks into degree programs and as an alumni/community retention layer.

Name

Qalam Seminary

Legal name

Qalam Seminary

Website

https://qalamseminary.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Qalam Seminary is a private Islamic seminary in Carrollton, Texas, offering a five-year Alim program and one-year Takhassus in classical Sunni scholarship to ~600 students via in-person and remote Zoom instruction, funded by tuition and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Colleges & Sharia/Fiqh Institutes (EDAHAKAI)

Keywords

• Islamic seminary education
• Arabic language studies
• Islamic sciences curriculum
• Religious higher education
• Theological degree programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrollton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Revenue: Full-time and part-time tuition programs across Year 1-5 Alimiyyah program and Takhaṣṣuṣ graduate program. Students may pay upfront for early bird discount or over 8 months installment plan.
2. Application and Enrollment Fees: One-time enrollment fee of $500 upon admission. Application fee of $45 after free deadline.
3. Donations and Scholarships: Donations to scholarship fund administered by Qalam for student financial aid. Monthly sustainers and one-time contributions. Establishment of named scholarship funds by donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Qalam Seminary is a private Islamic seminary that delivers structured multi-year programs in Classical Arabic and Islamic sciences to adult learners, including a one-year Classical Arabic certificate, a two-year Foundational Islamic Sciences certificate, a five-year ʿĀlimiyyah degree, and a three-year graduate Takhassus in Fiqh and Ifta. Programs are delivered in-person at the Carrollton, Texas campus and remotely via live Zoom instruction to both US-based and international students. The seminary awards scholarships funded by donor sustainers, with more than $4.5 million disbursed to support student access.

Product overview

Qalam Seminary offers a structured five-year Islamic education program with multiple entry points and credential pathways. The core offerings include: (1) Year 1 Classical Arabic and Essential Islamic Knowledge certificate, (2) Year 2 Foundational Islamic Sciences certificate, (3) Years 3-5 ʿĀlimiyyah degree program, and (4) Takhaṣṣuṣ in Fiqh and Iftāʾ graduate specialization. Students can study full-time or part-time, in-person at the Carrollton, TX campus or remotely via Zoom. Supporting infrastructure includes Canvas LMS, Classter SIS, SEAtS attendance system, and a SurveyMonkey Apply-based application portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Takhaṣṣuṣ Graduate Program: Advanced specialization program in Fiqh and Iftāʾ for graduates of the Ālimiyyah program.

Products and services

• Year 1: Classical Arabic and Essential Islamic Knowledge A one-year full-time certificate program teaching Classical Arabic grammar, morphology, Quranic sciences, Islamic jurisprudence basics, hadith studies, and prophetic biography. Priced at $9,500 per year with a $500 early bird discount for upfront payment, full-time only, serving as the foundation for subsequent programs.
• Year 2: Foundational Islamic Sciences A two-year certificate program (with part-time options) providing comprehensive understanding of major Islamic sciences including Quranic exegesis, hadith, fiqh, theology, and spiritual development. Priced at $8,900 per year with full-time and part-time options. Strategic exit point for community leaders and activists.
• Years 3-5: ʿĀlimiyyah Program A five-year degree program training students to serve as full-time Imams, religious leaders, educators, and scholars. Covers advanced Islamic law, theology, hadith sciences, Quranic studies, Arabic literature, and community leadership. Priced at $8,400 per year with full-time and part-time options.
• Takhaṣṣuṣ in Fiqh and Iftāʾ (Graduate Program) A three-year hybrid graduate program (part-time) offering specialization in Islamic jurisprudence and legal methodology. Includes 27 quarter-length courses covering applied fiqh, theoretical foundations, classics, history, and enrichment topics. Priced at $5,100 per year ($1,700 per quarter) with a non-refundable $250 enrollment fee. Space limited to 12 students per cohort.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 859 students graduated from the program since founding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bayān Claremont: Bayān is a US-based Islamic graduate seminary offering the Master's in Islamic Studies and a robust community lecture program. It targets a similar audience of working adults seeking traditional Islamic scholarship with a flexible schedule, competing directly with Qalam's Takhassus program and remote learning options.
• Zaytuna College: Zaytuna is the most directly comparable US-based Islamic higher education institution, offering undergraduate liberal arts programs with Islamic studies as a core focus. Both institutions train community religious leaders and scholars in the US based on traditional Islamic curricula, competing for the same donor pool and student demographic.
• Darul Qasim: Darul Qasim is a US-based Islamic seminary based in Chicago offering full-time and part-time Alimiyyah programs with traditional curriculum. It competes directly with Qalam in the US market for traditional Islamic seminary students and shares a similar Hanafi orientation and faculty pipeline.
• Cambridge Muslim College: Cambridge Muslim College is a UK-based Muslim theological institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs in Islamic studies and theology. It serves a similar niche of training imams and scholars with a traditional curriculum adapted to a Western context, and shares faculty overlap with Qalam (e.g., Dr. Omar Qureshi previously lectured there).
• Al-Maghrib Institute: Al-Maghrib is a US-based Islamic education institute offering weekend seminar-based coursework in classical Islamic sciences. It serves a different segment (short-form seminars vs. multi-year seminary) but competes for the same audience of English-speaking Muslims seeking traditional Islamic education and is part of the broader US Islamic education landscape.
• Mishkah University: Mishkah is a US-based online Islamic university offering degree programs in Islamic studies with flexible scheduling. It competes directly with Qalam's remote/Zoom track and online distance learning audience, particularly for working adults who cannot relocate to Carrollton, TX.

Regional players

• Ebrahim College: Ebrahim College is a UK-based Islamic higher education institution offering Alimiyyah and ACCESS programs combining traditional and contemporary Islamic studies. It shares Qalam's focus on training Western imams and community leaders with a traditional curriculum adapted to a Western context.
• Al-Salam Institute: Al-Salam Institute is a UK-based Islamic education provider offering part-time and full-time programs in Islamic theology and Arabic. While geographically separate from Qalam's US focus, it serves a similar Western Muslim demographic seeking traditional Islamic scholarship with flexible delivery formats.

Emerging players

• Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research: Yaqeen is a US-based Islamic research and education organization producing content and curricula for English-speaking Muslims. It is not a traditional seminary but competes for the same audience's attention and donor dollars, and shares faculty connections with Qalam (Dr. Omar Qureshi currently serves as Director of Integrated Curriculum at Yaqeen).
• Islamic Online University (Bayyinah Institute): Bayyinah (formerly Islamic Online University) is a US-based Islamic education company offering Arabic and Quranic studies through online courses and programs. While focused on shorter-form content rather than full seminary degrees, it competes for the same English-speaking Muslim audience seeking traditional Islamic knowledge in accessible formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/qalam-seminary

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Qalam Seminary