Financed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation ( OIC ) , the university was established in 1988 to serve the English-Speaking Sub Saharan Africa. But since then the mission has expanded as the institution has continued to welcome students from across the continent and beyond. The university which began with only 80 students, two faculties; the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language and only one campus located at Nkoma Mbale, Eastern Uganda, now accommodates over 7000 s tudents with six faculties and four campuses spread across the country. The university has graduated more than 10000 students in different disciplines including Islamic studies, Arabic Language, Law, Science, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and also has a nursing school.
The University runs over 56 academic programmes under 6 faculties namely;
- Faculty of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Management Studies
- Faculty of Education
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Law