Al-Asmarya Islamic University 2026 | Listed in the QS Arab University Rankings and Internationally Recognized

Al-Asmarya Islamic University in Libya | Colleges, Majors, and International Rankings 2026

About Al-Asmarya Islamic University

Al-Asmariya Islamic University is a Libyan public university headquartered in the city of Zliten, and is distinguished by an academic identity combining Islamic sciences, humanities, and applied and medical sciences.

The university's origins are historically tied to the zawiya of Sheikh Abdulsalam Al-Asmar in Zliten; according to the official website, the university was established by Decree No. 257 of 1415 AH/1995 AD for the establishment of Al-Asmarya University for Islamic Sciences.

The university is affiliated with the Libyan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and offers academic programs at various levels, with clear expansion in recent years into scientific, medical, and technical majors alongside its traditional Sharia and humanities disciplines.

Official website: Al-Asmariya Islamic University

University History and Development

Al-Asmarya University was founded in 1995, emerging from a scholarly and religious background linked to the zawiya of Sheikh Abdulsalam Al-Asmar in the city of Zliten.

However, the university gradually evolved from an institution focused primarily on Islamic sciences into a multidisciplinary university that today includes colleges in:

• Sharia sciences.
• Arabic Language.
• Arts and humanities.
• Education.
• Economics and commerce.
• Science.
• Engineering.
• Information technology.
• Marine resources.
• Human medicine.
• Oral and Dental Medicine and Surgery.
• Pharmacy.
• Health sciences.

This transformation reflects the university's transition from the model of a university specialized in Islamic sciences to the model of a multidisciplinary Islamic university, while preserving its original academic identity.

Al-Asmarya Islamic University Colleges

According to the structure published on the official website, the university comprises a wide network of colleges in Zliten and other university locations.

First: Humanities Colleges

• Faculty of Arts.
• Faculty of Education.
• College of Humanities – Girls (Banat).
• College of Humanities and Applied Sciences – Majer.

Second: Sharia and Islamic Sciences Colleges

• College of Da'wah and Fundamentals of Religion.
• Faculty of Sharia and Law.
• Faculty of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies.
• College of Sharia Sciences – Msallata.
• College of Islamic Studies – Sabha.
• College of Sharia and Law – Ubari.
• College of Sharia Sciences – Zawiyat Al-Mahjoub.
• College of Sharia Sciences – Bint Bayyah.
• College of Sharia and Law – Ghat.

Third: Scientific and Applied Colleges

• College of Science.
• Faculty of Engineering.
• Faculty of Information Technology.
• College of Marine Resources.
• College of Economics and Commerce.
• College of Economics – Msallata.

Fourth: Medical and Health Colleges

• College of Human Medicine.
• College of Oral and Dental Medicine and Surgery.
• Faculty of Pharmacy.
• Faculty of Health Sciences.

The QS database shows that the university currently offers 94 undergraduate and graduate programs, while the official website presents a broader system of colleges and academic programs.

Most Prominent Academic Specializations

Islamic Sciences and Sharia

Islamic sciences represent the historical field most closely tied to the university's identity, and its programs include:

• Principles of religion (usul al-din).
• Aqidah (Creed) and Islamic Thought.
• Tafsir (Quranic Exegesis) and Hadith.
• Da'wah, Imamate, and Preaching.
• Islamic Media.
• Quranic readings (qira'at).
• Islamic Sharia.
• Sharia and law.
• Arabic Language and Islamic Studies.

In the international student admission programs for the year 2026, the university announced tracks in Fundamentals of Religion, Aqidah and Islamic Thought, Tafsir and Hadith, Da'wah, Imamate and Preaching, Islamic Media, Quranic Readings, Sharia, and Arabic Language.

Arabic Language and Languages

The university offers programs related to Arabic language and Islamic studies, alongside English language programs in some of its institutions — also reflected in QS data, which includes programs in Arabic Language and English Language.

Economics and Business Administration

Academic fields include:

• Accounting.
• Business Administration.
• Economics.
• Finance and banking.
• Islamic Economics.
• Islamic Economics and Finance.

These majors appear in the university's QS programs database.

Engineering and Information Technology

The majors tracked by QS and THE include:

• Civil engineering.
• Chemical engineering.
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
• Mechanical engineering.
• Telecommunications engineering.
• Computer science and information technology.

THE also indicates the presence of diverse engineering and scientific majors within the university's academic scope.

Science and Marine Resources

The university comprises majors in:

• Mathematics.
• Physics.
• Chemistry.
• Biological sciences.
• Geology.
• Environmental and Earth Sciences.
• Marine resources.
• Marine Mechanical Engineering.
• Ports and Maritime Transport.

Likewise, the College of Marine Resources recorded institutional accreditation for the bachelor's programs in marine mechanical engineering, ports and maritime transport, and marine geology, dated 28 February 2026 according to the National Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Educational and Training Institutions in Libya.

Medical and health sciences

The university's system includes:

• Human medicine.
• Oral and Dental Medicine and Surgery.
• Pharmacy.
• Health sciences.

This expansion is important because it moves the university into an academic scope broader than the traditional Islamic university model. THE also lists among the university's fields Medicine and Dentistry وOther Health.

Graduate studies and scientific research

The university offers graduate programs, and its official website shows a master's programs guide, in addition to higher diploma programs and a range of scholarly activities for graduate students.

The university also announced a partnership with Elsevier, noting that the cooperation aims to enhance access to scholarly sources and the analysis of research performance according to international standards.

This step matters from a rankings perspective, because access to global databases and improved discoverability of scholarly output can help build a more internationally measurable research infrastructure.

Accreditation and Quality Assurance

The university shows a presence in Libya's accreditation system, as the National Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Educational and Training Institutions records institutional accreditations for a number of its programs.

Examples recorded in 2026 include:

This is an important indicator in assessing the university's development in terms of Quality assurance and academic accreditation.

Al-Asmarya Islamic University and International Rankings 2026

QS Arab Region Rankings 2026

The QS result is among the university's most notable international developments.

According to QS Arab Region Rankings 2026, Al-Asmarya Islamic University placed in the band:

201–250 in the Arab region

The university's QS page confirms this result directly.

The university's name also appears in the QS Arab universities table for 2026 in the band 201–250.

This makes the university one of the Libyan universities that succeeded in entering the QS ranking for the Arab region.

Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

in THE Impact Rankings 2025, Al-Asmarya Islamic University appeared globally in:

1501+

Its participation was recorded in a number of Sustainable Development Goals, including:

Webometrics 2026

According to the published data for Webometrics, Al-Asmarya Islamic University placed:

13,041 globally

and 11 in Libya in the published table.

It is important not to compare this figure directly with the QS result, because Webometrics focuses heavily on web presence, digital reach, and scholarly openness, while QS Arab Region measures a different set of academic, reputation, research, and internationalization indicators.

International Rankings Table

An Analytical Reading of the University's Performance

From an international rankings perspective, Al-Asmarya University's situation can be divided into three important phases:

1. Transition from a Specialized University to a Multidisciplinary University

The university's most important strategic transformation is its expansion from a focus on Islamic sciences to medicine, engineering, sciences, IT, economics, and marine resources.

This diversity can raise the university's capacity to produce research in fields more likely to appear in international databases.

2. Entering QS Is an Important Step

Scoring 201–250 in the Arab region in QS 2026 represents an important milestone in the university's international presence.

But reaching a higher band in the future requires focusing on indicators such as:

• Research quality.
• Citations.
• International cooperation.
• Academic reputation.
• Employer reputation.
• International faculty members.
• International students.
• Digital presence and institutional transparency.

3. Scientific Research and Internationalization Are the Most Important Areas

QS data shows the university has 14,346 students, 1,409 faculty members, and 298 international students according to the data published on the QS platform.

A large student base, alongside medical, engineering, and science programs, gives the university a suitable foundation for expanding its research output.

But the challenge will be converting institutional size into measurable international research impact.

Al-Asmarya Islamic University in Numbers

According to current QS data:

International Students and Scholarships

The university announced, for the academic year 2026 the opening of admission for international students, particularly in Sharia sciences and Arabic language programs.

The announced programs for international students include:

• Principles of religion (usul al-din).
• Aqidah (Creed) and Islamic Thought.
• Tafsir (Quranic Exegesis) and Hadith.
• Da'wah, Imamate, and Preaching.
• Islamic Media.
• Quranic readings (qira'at).
• Islamic Sharia.
• Arabic Language and Islamic Studies.

Among its published admission conditions for 2026, the university specifies that study be regular, full-time and that the language of instruction be Arabic, with programs lasting eight semesters in the announced tracks.

What Distinguishes Al-Asmarya University?

The university's institutional distinction can be identified in the combination of Islamic identity and expansion into modern sciences.

It is not merely a traditional Sharia university, as it now includes colleges in:

Medicine + Dentistry + Pharmacy + Engineering + Information Technology + Sciences + Economics + Marine Resources + Education + Humanities + Sharia Sciences.

This diversity gives it an opportunity to build a distinctive model in Libyan higher education, especially if it succeeds in linking its Islamic and humanities disciplines with modern scientific, technical, and research fields.

Conclusion

Al-Asmariya Islamic University in Zliten is one of the Libyan universities with a distinctive academic identity, combining an Islamic heritage tied to the zawiya of Sheikh Abdulsalam Al-Asmar with a modern system of scientific, medical, engineering, and technical majors.

And in 2026, its entry into the QS Arab Region Rankings in the 201–250 band in the Arab region represents the most important indicator of its expanding international presence, while its appearance in THE Impact Rankings confirms that the university has also begun building a presence in sustainable development.

From a strategic rankings perspective, the university's next phase should focus more heavily on the quality and international publication of scientific research, citations, international research collaboration, university internationalization, open institutional data, and academic reputation; these are the areas that can move it from merely appearing in regional rankings to stronger competition among Libyan and Arab universities.

Key Sources:

• Official website of the Asmarya Islamic University
• Asmarya Islamic University – QS TopUniversities
• Asmarya Islamic University – Times Higher Education
• National Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Libyan Educational Institutions