Al-Mustafa International University

Being an important religious city and due to the presence of the Qom seminary, Qom is considered one of the main centers of Islamic sciences and Shiite jurisprudence and has been the gathering place of religious scholars. In the past few centuries, Qom has been the center of religious services by educating and training great scholars in different religious sciences. There are several seminaries in this city that engage in imparting religious sciences and training seminary students. As an academic center, Al-Mustafa International University is engaged in teaching the fundamentals of Shi’ism. This academic center considers attracting students from all over the world as one of its missions and presently hosts hundreds of students from several countries. The activities of this university have received favorable feedback for introducing the real face of Islam and Shiism to the people of the world in recent decades.

History of the Al-Mustafa International University

The establishment of this scientific center dates back to the beginning of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Before the Islamic Revolution, few non-Iranian students studied religious sciences and fundamentals of Shiism in Qom. After the victory of the revolution, a council named “Council of the Guardianship of Non-Iranian Students” was established in Qom Seminary to pay more attention to the education of non-Iranian students in the field of religious studies and Shiism. In 1986 the name of this center was changed to “World Center of Islamic Sciences” and it started teaching religious sciences in the traditional way of Shiite seminaries. It was in 2008 that the center, which is now known as Al-Mustafa International University was founded. The establishment of this university of religious sciences was done with the aim of forming as many scientific centers as possible to meet the needs of the contemporary world.

Presently, students are being admitted in three academic fields of Islamic sciences, humanities, and cultural and linguistic studies. The educational system of this university is arranged in such a way that it is compatible with both the seminary and the university systems (at associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate levels). In this way, based on the course each student takes and the grades they acquire, they are awarded certificates of graduation equivalent to university degrees, which are approved by world-renowned scientific centers.

International Status of the Al-Mustafa International University

This institute of higher education is considered one of the main centers of Shiite studies in the world. It is situated in Qom and has subsidiary, affiliated, and cooperating units in 60 countries.

Different branches of this institution identify people interested in studying religious sciences, provide them with basic education, and if they are interested in pursuing higher levels, they are sent to Iran.

Al-Mustafa International University has about 40,000 foreign students and 40,000 graduates from 122 nationalities. The courses of the center are offered in 2500 subjects and non-Iranian students and their families can use the accommodation facilities and services in Iran while benefiting from the educational services. Since the main addressees of this university are non-Iranian students, it can admit Iranian students only up to 10% of its capacity. Although Al-Mustafa University is a center for introducing and teaching Shiite beliefs, Sunni students also have the opportunity to attend it.

Educational Services of Al-Mustafa International University

Non-Iranian people interested in Shia religious studies can use the short-term educational services of the university and benefit from the research and training activities of its various religious and cultural groups. In addition, those who are not able to attend classes in Iran can benefit from distance education by registering at the Al-Mustafa Virtual University, which was started in 2003 and currently offers education in 40 fields (in different languages). Three educational courses in Persian, Arabic, and English are also accessible to interested people in this virtual university.