Omdurman Islamic University 2026–2027: History, Specializations, Rankings, and Scientific Research

Omdurman Islamic University 2026–2027: History, Specializations, Rankings, and Scientific Research

Omdurman Islamic University – OIU

Last updated: September 2026

Overview of Omdurman Islamic University

Omdurman Islamic University (Omdurman Islamic University – OIU) is a Sudanese public university located in the city of Omdurman, and is one of the Sudanese university institutions with historical roots extending back to the early twentieth century.

The institution's nucleus began as scholarly circles led by a group of Sudanese scholars at the beginning of the twentieth century, before taking on a more organized institutional form in 1912 under the name the Scientific Institute. In 1963 a decree establishing the Omdurman Islamic College was issued, followed in 1965 by a decree elevating the college to Omdurman Islamic University.

The university originally began with Islamic and Arabic sciences, before expanding substantially to include medicine, pharmacy, engineering, agriculture, computer science, science and technology, economics, management, law, media, nursing, and more.

Basic Information

History of Omdurman Islamic University

From the Scientific Institute to the University

The university's roots go back to a group of scholars who began teaching religious and Arabic sciences in Omdurman in the early twentieth century.

And in 1912 This nucleus took on a more organized institutional form under the name the Scientific Institute, which formed the historical foundation of the present university.

In 1963 A decree establishing the Omdurman Islamic College was issued, and then in 1965 a decree was issued elevating it to Omdurman Islamic University. The university keeps an official register of its presidents since 1965, confirming that year as the founding point of the university in its modern form.

Brief Timeline

Transformation from an Islamic university into a multidisciplinary university

One of the most notable features of Omdurman Islamic University's experience is that it did not remain confined to Sharia and linguistic sciences.

It gradually expanded into fields such as:

• Medicine and health sciences.
• Dentistry.
• Pharmacy.
• Medical laboratory sciences.
• Nursing.
• Engineering.
• Agriculture.
• Computer science.
• Science and technology.
• Architecture and planning.
• Economics and political science.
• Administrative sciences.
• Education.
• Media.
• Arts.
• Law.
• Humanities.

The university officially states that it now comprises around twenty faculties in addition to institutes, research centers, and various units.

Faculties of Omdurman Islamic University

The university's official website lists a wide range of faculties, the most prominent of which include:

Sharia and Humanities Faculties

1. Faculty of Fundamentals of Religion (Usul al-Din).
2. Faculty of Sharia and Law.
3. Faculty of Arabic Language.
4. Faculty of Arts.
5. Faculty of Islamic Da'wah.
6. Faculty of Media.
7. Faculty of Education.
8. Faculty of Economics and Political Science.
9. Faculty of Administrative Sciences.
10. Faculty of Human Development.
11. Faculty of Community Development.

Scientific and Medical Faculties

12. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
13. Faculty of Dentistry.
14. Faculty of Pharmacy.
15. Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
16. Faculty of Nursing Sciences.
17. Faculty of Engineering Sciences.
18. Faculty of Agriculture.
19. Faculty of Science and Technology.
20. Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology.
21. Faculty of Architecture and Planning.

There is also Faculty of Graduate Studies which oversees the university's postgraduate programs.

Key Academic Specializations

1. Islamic Studies and Sharia

Islamic sciences form the historical foundation of the university and include:

• Principles of religion (usul al-din).
• Tafsir and Qur'anic Sciences.
• Sunnah and Hadith Sciences.
• Islamic Creed (Aqidah).
• Prophetic Biography (Sirah) and Shama'il.
• Qur'anic Recitations (Qira'at).
• The Holy Qur'an.
• Sharia.
• Principles of jurisprudence (usul al-fiqh).
• Judiciary.
• Law.
• General Jurisprudence (Fiqh).
• Sharia Policy (Siyasa Shar'iyya).
• Maliki jurisprudence.
• Comparative jurisprudence.
• Comparative Religion.

Official information indicates that the Faculty of Usul al-Din traces its roots back to the Scientific Institute in 1912, while its current name was established in 1991.

2. Arabic Language and Languages

The university offers programs in:

• Grammatical and Linguistic Studies.
• Literary and Critical Studies.
• Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers.
• English Language and Literature.
• French Language and Literature.

Arabic language and Islamic studies are among the foundational historical fields with which the institution was established since the Scientific Institute.

3. Arts and Humanities

Fields of study include:

• Islamic history and civilization.
• Geography.
• Sociology.
• Social work.
• Psychology.
• Library and information science.
• English Language and Literature.
• French Language and Literature.

The Faculty of Arts became an independent faculty in 1965 with the establishment of the modern university.

4. Media and Communication

The teaching of media at the university dates back to 1965, when the Department of Journalism and Media was established within the Faculty of Arts.

The university notes that this department was among the first journalism and media departments in Sudan, later evolving into the Faculty of Da'wah and Media in 1990, before the institutional structure developed into an independent Faculty of Media.

Areas of study include:

• Journalism.
• Media.
• Public Relations.
• Radio and Television.
• Communication.
• Digital media and related fields.

5. Economics and Administration

The academic system includes:

• Economics.
• Political Science.
• Statistics.
• Econometrics.
• Business Administration.
• Administrative sciences.
• Accounting.
• Administrative and financial fields.

The university also includes research and academic departments in economics, statistics, and political science, as shown on the official website of faculty members and programs.

6. Medicine and Health Sciences

The university encompasses a wide range of health specializations through:

• Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
• Faculty of Dentistry.
• Faculty of Pharmacy.
• Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
• Faculty of Nursing Sciences.

This expansion represents one of the most important transformations in the university's history, as it moved from a core focus on Islamic and Arabic sciences to an institution with a broad health and medical scope.

7. Engineering, Science, and Technology

The university offers programs in:

• Engineering sciences.
• Computer science.
• Information technology.
• Science and technology.
• Architecture and planning.
• Agriculture.

This diversity is reflected in the current official list of the university's faculties.

Graduate studies

The university has an integrated postgraduate system that includes:

• Higher diploma.
• Master's degrees.
• Doctorate.

and organizes Faculty of Graduate Studies admission procedures, academic regulations, seminars, and workshops; the university also publishes the unified academic regulations for postgraduate studies.

The official regulations clarify that master's and doctoral degrees fall within the postgraduate system and define the academic framework for programs and theses.

Distance Learning and E-Learning

The university offers distance learning programs through the Deanship of Distance Learning and E-Learning.

In the announcement for the academic year 2026–2027, the university announced admission for distance study in a number of programs, including:

• Bachelor's in Usul al-Din – Islamic Studies.
• Bachelor's in Islamic Da'wah.
• Bachelor's in Sharia and Law.
• Bachelor's in Administrative Sciences – Accounting and Business Administration.
• Bachelor's in Economics and Political Science.

This reflects the university's continued development of its e-learning model alongside in-person education.

Scientific Research and Academic Journals

Scientific research is one of the university's core components, and the university manages:

• Deanship of Scientific Research.
• The digital repository.
• The library.
• Scientific journals.
• Research centers and institutes.
• Graduate programs.

The official website also indicates the presence of 21 academic journals covering a wide range of academic fields.

Among the journals and publications listed on the website are:

• Journal of the Faculty of Usul al-Din.
• Journal of the Faculty of Sharia and Law.
• Ma'alim al-Da'wah Journal.
• Journal of the Faculty of Human Development.
• Journal of Educational Sciences.
• Journal of Medical Sciences.
• Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
• Journal of Engineering Sciences.
• Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences.
• Journal of Medical Laboratory Sciences.
• Journal of Science and Technology.

Institutes and Centers

The university includes a number of institutes and centers, among them:

• Institute of Strategic Studies and International Relations.
• Institute for Research and Studies of the Islamic World.
• Institute of Family and Social Studies.
• Institute for the Qualification and Training of Imams and Preachers.
• UNESCO Chair.

This structure reflects the breadth of the university's mission, from undergraduate education to scientific research, training, and community service.

International Rankings 2026

SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026

Omdurman Islamic University appears prominently in SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026.

Global rank

7,163 globally

its ranking within Sudan

second place among the five Sudanese universities listed in the SCImago 2026 ranking.

It ranks behind Al-Neelain University in the Sudanese ranking, and ahead of Sudan University of Science and Technology وUniversity of Gezira وUniversity of Khartoum.

These indicators show that scientific research represents the strongest dimension of the university's performance in SCImago, with a research percentile of 77, compared to 59 for innovation and 45 for societal impact.

SCImago: A Look at Research Performance

The SCImago methodology divides the evaluation into three main axes:

• Scientific research.
• Innovation.
• Societal impact.

The ranking assigns a weight of 50% to research, 30% to innovation, and 20% to societal impact.

Thus, the result achieved by Omdurman Islamic University indicates that its relative strength in the ranking comes primarily from research output and impact compared to its innovation and societal impact indicators.

QS: The University's Position in the Ranking

The university has a profile page on the QS TopUniversitiesplatform; however, the current page does not display a recent independent ranking for the university in QS Arab Region University Rankings 2026, and the current result appears in the format N/A, with old historical data for the Arab region.

Therefore, methodologically, no QS Arab 2026 ranking figure should be entered for the university in the Top Arab University Rankings database unless it is issued by QS or a reliable official source.

THE – Times Higher Education

Omdurman Islamic University has an official profile page on the Times Higher Educationplatform; however, the verified source does not provide a documented numerical ranking for the university in THE World University Rankings 2026.

Accordingly:

THE World University Rankings 2026: no documented numerical ranking is currently available to be listed.

This is an important point when comparing Sudanese universities, as the existence of a university profile page on the THE platform should not be confused with actual inclusion in the world ranking table.

Summary Rankings Table

University Memberships and Academic Relations

The university appears in regional and international academic networks and unions, including the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World according to the university's profile on the QS platform.

The university also includes a unit dedicated to international relations and strategic studies, which is consistent with its historical character and its fields in Islamic, humanities, and social studies.

Academic Strengths

The university's most prominent institutional strengths can be identified across several dimensions:

1. Long Academic History

The institution's roots go back to the Scientific Institute in 1912, while the modern university was founded in 1965.

2. Distinctive Islamic Specialization

The university maintains a strong academic identity in:

• Islamic Studies.
• Sharia and law.
• Principles of religion (usul al-din).
• Da'wah (Islamic outreach).
• Arabic Language.

3. Broad Disciplinary Diversity

The university has transformed into a multidisciplinary institution encompassing medicine, engineering, agriculture, computer science, economics, administration, and media.

4. Extensive Postgraduate System

The presence of master's and doctoral programs across a wide range of fields supports the university's research function.

5. Visible Research Activity in SCImago

The university ranked second in Sudan in SCImago 2026, with a research percentile of 77.

6. Multidisciplinary Scientific Output

The presence of 21 academic journals on the official website reflects the breadth of research activity and academic publishing within the university.

Strategic Challenges in International Rankings

From a university rankings perspective, the core issue lies not only in the size of the university or the number of faculties, but in its ability to translate this diversity into measurable international indicators.

Among the most prominent areas that could strengthen the university's presence in the future:

• Increasing the quality and proportion of publications in Q1 and Q2 journals.
• Increasing international citations.
• Expanding international research collaboration.
• Enhancing researchers' presence in international databases.
• Increase patents and technology transfer.
• Strengthening institutional digital visibility.
• Increasing officially published English-language data.
• Developing the digital repository.
• Standardizing university and researcher names in Scopus and Web of Science.
• Improving the university data submitted to international ranking bodies.

These points become even more important because SCImago 2026 already shows a gap between the university's research performance (77th percentile) and its innovation (59) and societal impact (45) performance.

Omdurman Islamic University for International Students

The university features academic fields that can attract students from Arab and African countries, particularly:

• Islamic Studies.
• Sharia and law.
• Principles of religion (usul al-din).
• Da'wah (Islamic outreach).
• Arabic Language.
• Teaching Arabic to Non-Native Speakers.
• African and Asian studies.

In addition, the availability of programs in medicine, engineering, pharmacy, and computer science broadens study options beyond traditional Islamic fields.

Analytical summary

Omdurman Islamic University It is not merely a university specializing in Islamic sciences, but a Sudanese university institution that has historically evolved from the Scientific Institute, established in its institutional form in 1912, into a multidisciplinary university since 1965.

Today, the university is distinguished by a blend of Islamic, Arabic, and humanities sciences, alongside medicine, engineering, pharmacy, agriculture, computer science, technology, economics, and administration.

At the level of international rankings, the most prominent currently documented indicator is SCImago 2026, where the university placed 7,163 globally and second in Sudan, with a research percentile of 77. This makes scientific research one of the most prominent elements of its current international presence.

As for QS and THE, there is currently no documented numerical data in the verified official sources that would allow assigning the university a 2026 world or Arab ranking. Therefore, omitting an unconfirmed figure here is more accurate than using outdated data or aggregator sources.

Overall Assessment on the Top Arab University Rankings Platform

A university with a strong historical academic identity, broad disciplinary diversity, and internationally measurable research presence, with a clear opportunity to strengthen its standing in world rankings through international research, citations, international cooperation, innovation, and digital presence.

References and Sources

1. Omdurman Islamic University – Official Website: University information, faculties, programs, and academic services.
2. Omdurman Islamic University – Establishment and Historical Development.
3. Omdurman Islamic University – University Presidents Since 1965.
4. Omdurman Islamic University – Faculties and Specializations.
5. Omdurman Islamic University – Postgraduate Studies and Academic Regulations.
6. Omdurman Islamic University – Distance Learning 2026–2027.
7. Omdurman Islamic University – Academic Journals.
8. SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026 – Omdurman Islamic University.
9. SCImago Institutions Rankings 2026 – Sudanese Universities.
10. QS TopUniversities – Omdurman Islamic University.
11. Times Higher Education – Omdurman Islamic University.