This page deals with the official requirements to apply. With the impending move over to electronic application submission and follow-up, the university is going to be making some changes as to how it processes applications, and the requirements for those who wish to apply.
Applications are accepted throughout the year and there is no ‘official’ cut-off point. However, they have quotas for each country – once they have filled their quota they consider the remaining applications for the following year. For this reason, it is important to get your application in as early as possible. They do have an ‘unofficial’ cut-off point, which is the point by which most applications will have been considered for most countries. This is normally around February of each year. The university doesn’t allow you to apply a number of years in advance, you need to be ready to enrol in the upcoming year. Notification of acceptance normally comes out between May and August, although it can be delayed. At the moment, the term starts in the beginning of October, which means there can be more than a year between submitting your application and starting study.
A number of brothers asked about the best time to come for an interview. This has now been added to the FAQ.
The conditions that the university lays down are fairly non-flexible, although it has been known for the university to ignore one or two of the conditions, especially if one or more of the references are from someone they can’t really say no to. However, in general, if you don’t meet these requirements, you can’t study at the university. I have missed out the conditions which are commonly understood, such as being a Muslim of good moral character, etc. – what follows are the conditions which most people get stuck on:-
- An applicant must be a holder of a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or equivalent. In reality this condition is dependant upon which country you come from. In Saudi they follow a system in which there is one main qualification in High School which takes you directly to university. In the UK, university entry is not possible without A-levels, which come after GCSEs. To summarise, you need to find out the requirement for your particular country, but in terms of the UK, they accept the GCSE qualification for direct entry to the university, and do not require A-levels, even though they would be a bonus, and are still counted within the ’5 year limit’. Note that they have a Saudi high school in the university, which takes an additional 1-3 years after the 2 year Arabic course. This is for people who do not have at least a GCSE or equivalent. However, not all countries are allowed to enter. Officially UK students are not allowed to study in the High School – it’s either GCSEs or nothing. However, some students have studied there in the past, as an exception to the rule. Note entering the high school impacts upon your stipend, as I mentioned here.
- Not more than five years should have passed since the applicant obtained the certificate. This refers to the last certificate which can be classed as High School/GCSE/A-level – meaning that there must not have been more than 5 years since you got your High School/A-level certificate. Your degree doesn’t count here, which is a major problem, since many people who are 23+ have had more than 5 years since graduating High School. We’re currently making an effort to have this changed to cover any certificate; under-graduate or post-graduate. This is being put before the university council in the coming weeks, in shaa Allah.
- A scholarship applicant should not exceed the age of 25 years. This refers to when you start the course. It is possible for a 26 year old to be accepted with permission of the university management, but is rare, since it requires them to do extra paperwork, and normally only happens if the student is exceptionally gifted, or from a country from which not many people apply. Students older than 26 when they start are almost unheard of, but they do exist.
There is some mention of being able to read the Qur’aan well. In fact, allowances are made for new Muslims, or for the availability of education in an applicant’s home country. However, it is a factor which they consider.
Now go check out Documents you need to apply
Salaam akhi!
I am from bonnie Scotland Alhamdulilah;)
I was hoping inshallah that i can speak to you personally by email.
May Allah (SWT) grant you happiness in this dunya and make the hisab with ease inshallah!
Wasalaam bro
Your local kilt wearing Glasgow, Scotland Brother
(btw Halal kilt lol pass the knees:))
Omar Afzal
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah,
I just sent you an email now.
Baaarak Allahu feek,
Wassalaamu alaykum,
Muhammad
Salaam my dearest brother in islam,
Please send me your email akhi… I am really in need of your help inshallah..
Jazakallak khair bro
May Allah (swt) grant you happiness in dunya and make the hereafter with ease inshallah.
Wasalaam
Your local Glasgow, Scotland Brother
Omar Afzal
as salaamu alaikum
baarak allahu fiik. May Allah reward you immensely for what you are doing for the brothers.
Akh, I really need to ask you a favour: would it be possible you could send me you email address please, need to discuss some matters with you.
jazak allahu khairan
in shaa Allah, I will send it to you now.
Assalaamu’alaikum Wa Rahmathullahi Wa Barakhaathuh,
May allah Reward you greatly for all your efforts br. Abdirahman. I pray that you are well and may allah bring ease to your studies. Could you also send me your email me?
I apoligies for being yet another “email requester”, but InshaAllah, Allah will reward you for each email reply you give.
I love you for the sake of Allah, and may allah make your studies at madina not only at ease, but very benificial.
Assalaamu’alaikum,
mar
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,
I sent you an email now.
Baarak Allahu feek,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
assalamualikum.kaifa anta…plz send me ur e mail i d .i want to discuss some matters regarding admission policy .
Inshaa Allah. I’m sending it now.
Asalaamu caleykum wa rahmatullah akhii,
I emailed you my application a few weeks back with scanned certificates etc. Im just checking to see that you actually received them and that they never ended up in ur junk mail folder. Get back to me as soon as you can inshallah.
Wasalaamu caleykum
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,
Sorry for taking ages to get back to you. I’ve been run off my feet with exams. I got all of your documents but for some reason I didn’t hand them in with the others – so I owe you a big apology. Inshaa Allah, I’ll hand them in on Sunday and ask them to put the papers in the same pile as the ones which I handed in before. I’ll send you an email to confirm on Sunday inshaa Allah.
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,
Muhammad
Asalamu Alaikum Brother,
I would like to thank you for assisting us with all the necessary information needed to be enrolled into the university of madinah may ALLAH continue to reward you abundantly ameen.There was a time i asked for assistance from you to monitor the progress of my application and you did asked me to send you my full name and country for to able to trace my application.Name Zakari Adamu Usman Dogo.Country is Nigeria.i posted my application since november 17 2009 but i don’t know whether they have gotten it or not.Please help me.i will be grateful for your kind assistance.wassalam.
Salamualaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Oh Brother in Islam, I have read all the stuff I am needed to do, for the most part I think I can do, but I just needed a bit on answering on my questions and I need a little bit of help with reference or contact, My question is, I know we can give the stuff in a package but I also know that we can go there for an interview. For the interview, is it before getting accepted or after? And my other question is I live in canada, Toronto. And am looking for atleast 2 good reference. If by any chance you know anyone then, can you please help me out, May ALLAH bless you in this Dunya And in the akhira.
I already replied to the first post…apologies for the delay
can you give us your email address brother, so we can email our applications to you,
I sent it to you now.
also bro if you are able to hand it in for me inshallah would you email me your post box as soon details etc to as soon as possible
Jazakallahu khayr
salaamu caleykum wa rahmatullahu wa barakaatu,
Im wanting to apply inshallah for 2010 entry via airmail and I understand it is a bit last minute but inshallah khayr. My first question refers to the actual academic certificates required. Are transcripts sufficient or do you really need to have the certificates? Also are applications for 2010 still being accepted, I aim to have mine in for 14 december inshallah.
Also if you would be able to hand in my application personally on my behalf inshallah I would be very grateful. Im sorry if some of my questions do relate to matters that you have already covered. I have taken a look at all the pages but have been unable to find any concrete answers to my questions.
Jazakallahu khayr
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu,
If you have both the certificates and the transcripts, you should include both. Otherwise, just send whatever you have and you can always bring the certificates if you are accepted inshaa Allah.
There isn’t any way to confirm whether they are still accepting applications for 2010, but I get the impression there’s still some time.
I can hand in your application inshaa Allah. I would advise you to scan the documents and email them to me, so that I can hand it in quickly – post takes so long here.
If you want to do that, let me know and I’ll send you an email inshaa Allah.
Also, make sure you have your translations.
May Allah make it easy for you,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
Assalamalaikum,
I am a Bangladeshi Citizen, I have studied all levels of Islamic study in Bangladesh and passed at top standard, i would like to apply for Madinah Uni to continue with further educatuin.
will i be able to apply and will my bangladeshi certificate be accepted?
thank you
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah,
Yes inshaa Allah, you should be able to apply and your Bangladeshi certificate should normally be accepted.
You will need to get the rest of the documents which are required, such as references.
Take a look through the pages of the site for more information,
May Allah make it easy for you,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
BaraAllau feek akhi,
May Allah reward you for this valuable service you are providing.
I hear that a student have to sign your application keeping this in mind, and if this is true does it really matter who the student is.
for e.g. someone doing a PhD and another starting his Bachelors?
Allah ya barak feek
Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Wa feeka baarak.
I’m not sure what you mean by a student ‘signing’ the application.
The only thing that I can think of is that you are referring to references.
Otherwise nobody has to sign the application apart from yourself.
May Allah make it easy for you,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
salams bro
i just completed A-levels and currently taking a gap year now and studying in Fajr Centre in Cairo, Egypt.
You were saying that non-arab speakers must complete two years study prior to starting a degree. I just wanted know what level i will be in in my arabic when i complete the whole course in Fajr Centre insha allah. Would i still need to do the two years??
Fajr Centre uses the three Al-arabi bayna yathayk books plus other materials. more info is at there website
Jazakallah
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah,
Sorry for the late reply bro.
I would guess that you could probably miss one year of Arabic inshaa Allah, but the second year deals with some detailed Arabic grammar that you would probably still need to cover. Allah knows best.
Of course you could still decide to start from the beginning if you wanted to.
May Allah make it easy for you,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
Salaam
im a somali currently in London and i iam in my second year of A Levels and i wanted to know whether i could get into the IUOM with my 9 GCSE’s plus i can read the Quran but i have not memorised alot
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah,
Inshaa Allah, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be accepted. GCSEs are the minimum requirement, and you have those. Memorisation of the Qur’aan is important, but the main thing is that you can read.
Take a look through the site and inshaa Allah you’ll find all of the information that you need.
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Again, very quick reply so that I can get through all the questions, so please excuse the brevity.
1. A-levels should count as GCSEs, as long as the translator knows what he is doing. Their position on the degree is that they don’t care, so anyone with more than 5 years since their A-levels is running a risk, but they should apply anyway because they might overlook it, even though the ‘official’ position is that they won’t.
2. The doctor’s letter is recommended but they probably won’t reject an application that doesn’t have it. However, i strongly recommend it since I don’t want to give them an excuse to bin someone’s application.
3. None of the papers have to be signed. I confirmed this directly from the brothers in the admin dept, but they prefer if translations are signed and stamped by someone reputable (local masjid for example).
4. MP letter is only when you get accepted, although I heard that umm ul quraa ask for it when you apply. In terms of getting the letter, I always recommend the brothers to get an introductory letter from a well known community organisation, talking about the need for Islamic knowledge to counter terrorism and extremist views. If he’s labour tell him that the university has the endorsement of Sadiq Khan MP, who went there to (spy on us and) supposedly to build ties with the university, so we may as well use him for what it’s worth.
5. If you don’t have your main documents they will not issue you a visa and you will miss your chance for acceptance. Some documents which are not so important (like a full birth cert instead of a small one), when they find out they make you sign a pledge that you will not graduate until you bring them the required document. I think the MP letter is one that they will not give a visa if you don’t have it.
6. I’ll leave the questions about you being accepted, since ma shaa Allah, you already know, but in general, they might overlook if someone is 26, but anything older is going to take some serious contacts.
Wassalaamu alaykum,
Muhammad
Salaam! Hope evry1 get’s this in the best state of Imaan and Health!
Hayyakum Allah Ya Ikhwaana fil-llah!
ok, akhi Abu Abdir-Rahmaan (& others if it applies/concerns), you can see i’m going down the list/links of this website on the right hand side reading as much as i can and comment or ask questions where it’s needed under each section. Sorry if there’s any repetition or lengthyness or unimportant questions or/and comments.
This question is also related to the next link “Documents you need to apply”. But i’ll mix my question and ask it in between these 2 pages.
Basically, from reading previous few pages and this it seems that i WAS ok applying last 2 years back (& not got accepted) but form last year onwards upto the future whenever i apply io fall short in few things.
I like to ask:
What happens if you are more than 5 years of gap from GCSE certificate that you’ve acquired? Are they very strict at that condition?
Well i’m already passed about 7 years or more
But then again as i mentioned before under other headings that i’ve done A Levels and just graduated with BSC degree from Uni Al-Hamdulillah. You mentioned (on someone elses comment) that officially they dont look at it but it could show how and where you spent your time. Also it MAY be useful.
Do you reckon this time when i apply i go in with all my certificate including Degree? Are there truly any values in it (degree) by the Uni and their Admins?
Yeah they have some funny American system in the education. I was confused and took me upto the next year (which was last year) that they include UK A Levels as part of their Secondary Schools…it’s all in one!
I didnt know what was the certificate they needed to have as the most latest and applicable to the requirements when they asked me to put it in order. But now i know Al-Hamdulillah!
Another question regarding documents:
?
One of my friend who was accepted to Madinah 4-6 years back mentioned this as well as i think Shaikh Shoaib Mirpuri that the health document or medical document is not an immediate requirement. You can apply with all those documents but the original certificate of your education and the Doctors report needs to be taken with you WHEN YOU GET ACCEPTED. Thus for the last 2 years i’ve been applying without that documents.
Also was it said that each document or photocopy MUST be signed….i didnt have any of them signed so where do i stand
I didnt even know that the MP needs to write a document that you are allowed to study abroad. So i ASSUME this requirement is also not an immediate requirement which is required everytime you apply but only when you get accepted. I’m also worried about this because i think my MP for Birmingham Saltley/Nechells is a non-muslim and i spoke to one person that’s involved in politics and voting (he was in election i think) and asked him if there’s possibility of them stopping me to travel abroad to study. He frankly told me that it depends. If you tell them it’s for islamic education then they going to do research and might whinge, hesitate and put trouble on me to get the letter off them. I mean over the years Saudi and Islamic University has been defamed in Media…so…. any ideas where and how do i go on about this?
& as mentioned/questioned in detail before under “Potential pitfalls…” section that is it really not possible for an advance application so for example instead of getting in now, if say the list got out late and we didnt manage to get all the bits and pieces and the full requirements and documents done/completed before we travel can we not postpone the entry?
FINALLY (lol, i know essay type but i like explaining myself), i would be 24 by next week insha-Allah and say if i dont get accepted this year 2209-2010 (Insha-Allah i would and ask Allah for the best) then i dont think it would be possible for me to go there in Umrah intention and apply (i prefer this as it’s quicker and easier for interview) before Hajj because of financial and time problems. In that case i would apply maybe after Hajj sometime beginning of next year WHICH MEANS they cannot accept me for 2010-2011 because closing date for that year is this years Hajj time (from other websites and heard it from friends and people over there at the Uni). This means the application would be considered for 2011-2012 BUT….BUT by then i would be 26 years old
What will happen then? How does the system work then? Would they be sympathetic with me that i’ve been trying so many years? Are ther any loose holes where they may agree with just a year of over age for scholarship???
Please answer as much as possible to the best of ability with evidence or proof (consultation) if possible. If possible and you are close to official people and the admin, can you please give in a good word on behalf of the brothers that are in situations like myself and are desparate.
Jazak-Allah
Wa Barak-Allah feekum
Salaam
MD Gulam Muhith
(once again i’m really sorry. I do have more questions but like to enforce myself with a cut-off point for being justice
)
asalaamu aleykum aki
a little bit worried aki you said
”Not more than five years should have passed since the applicant obtained the certificate. This refers to the last certificate – meaning that if the highest certificate you hold is A-level, there must not have been more than 5 years since you got the A-level.”
does that apply to one if he has gcse’s as their highest qualification.
and if so its been since 2004 since i got my gcse’s its 2009 meaning its my 5th year since i possess them and i havent even applied yet.
insallah kheyr
jazakullah kheyr
mahmoed
Assalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Yes it does apply, because GCSEs are the basic requirement for the course. Try to apply as quickly as possible, inshaa Allah they’ll accept it. The only other thing that I can think of is looking into taking a couple of GCSEs privately…I don’t know how feasible that is, or whether it would work.
May Allah make it easy for you,
Wassalaamu alaykum warahmatullah,
Muhammad
brother i have 9 GCSE’s and can read the quran well do i have a chance?
Assalamualaikum brother ,
Masyaalah!
may allah bless you and reward you on effort for this realy informative website to help our brothers and sister like me who wants to study at this university…
brother..i am a revert to islam for 9years now…i am very much interested to study da’wa at this university but im already 30 this year…do you think i might still have the chance or there’s no hope at all??
need your respond brother..
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah,
Apologies for taking so long to reply, I’ve been very busy with exams.
Please search through the comments for other people who asked the same question about being too old. The main thing is for you to focus your intention on pleasing Allah and seeking knowledge, wherever you are. If Allah makes it easy for you to study in Madinah, then all praise is for Him. If He doesn’t allow you to seek knowledge in Madinah, then start to look for other places you can seek correct knowledge. Look around the place you live, attend study circles, start to memorise the Qur’aan and memorise important proofs. Allah hasn’t restricted knowledge to Madinah – Al hamdulillah.
I’m not saying getting into Madinah is impossible, but it is definitely much more difficult and you would need an exceptional set of references. In any case, please take my advice and start seeking knowledge wherever you are – if your intention is sincere, Allah will put barakah in it for you and you will realise that Madinah is a blessing, but it is not the only blessing.
May Allah make you and us firm on His religion and may He make seeking knowledge easy for all of us,
Wassalaamu alaykum,
Muhammad
AssAs salamu alaikum akhi,
My education background is economics, IT and Immigration Law. I am 42 years old, i’m Australian citizen. I have done Bachelor and Masters of Economics in my home country Bangladesh and i taught Economics in my home country. I came to Australia 1998 and i completed Graduadte Diploma in IT from an Australin University. Now i study Post Graduate Certificte in Australian Immigraduation Law at Murdoch University Australia which will be completed by next month. I know how to read Quran. I memorized the last zuza of the Quran recently with meaning and explanation, also i memorized Suratul Yasin and Arrahman with meaning and explanation. Rest of my life i like to continue my study on Islamic education at Madinah Uni and i like to keep myself busy at Dawah work until i leave this world. I am not looking for any work on economics or IT or Immigration law. I am single person. Plz advise me about my option to study at Madinah University.
Abdul Quddus
salaaam alkuim brother
may allah reward you for your effort on working so hard to spread the message and to help the brother and sisters.
i wanted to know what GCSE do i need to get does it have to be above C for all subjects and also if i have memorised alot of Quran would that help.
Do i need to pay for anything .
i’m currently waiting for my passport i just want to get everything clear can you help please
salaaam alkuim
Wa alaykumussalaam warahmatullah br. Ismail,
Wa jazaakallahu khayran.
I don’t think there is a fixed system for all GCSEs being above a certain level, however, you need to bear in mind that your results will be compared with other students, and while they are not the only thing which the university uses to assess an application, they are very important. Presumably if there are a lot of people handing in applications with As, then Cs would make the application less likely to be accepted. Having said that, there are many other things that the university takes into account, so just because someone has C grades or even below doesn’t mean that they won’t be accepted, however, it makes the process harder.
Memorising Qur’aan does help, but I’m not sure I can say how much. I don’t think it’s as important as your educational grades, but they definitely take it into account.
You have to also bear in mind that a lot of what I write on this blog is educated guesswork, based on past experience, so it may be that I’m wrong.
In terms of paying for things, take a look at the pages on the site, there is some information there about living costs etc. Also see “once you are accepted”, if there are any costs at that point, the brother who wrote the piece should have included them there. Apart from that, I can’t think of anything.
Wassalaamu alaykum,
Muhammad