Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh,
I am delighted to share some wonderful news with our Rabata and Ribāṭ University community.
Ribāṭ University has received conditional approval from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education to operate as a degree-granting university. This is an important milestone in a journey that has taken years of prayer, planning, and dedicated work from many people.
All twenty-one of our proposed degree programs have been approved to move forward. Each program has been thoughtfully developed to combine academic excellence with a strong Islamic foundation, preparing students to make meaningful contributions in their professions and communities.
In just a short time, we will welcome Ribāṭ University’s founding cohort of 170 undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States and around the world. The Sanad Center will also welcome fifty-nine students into its Qurʾān certification programs, continuing the tradition of transmitting the Qurʾān through authenticated chains of ijāzah. Meanwhile, the Ribaat Academic Institute is becoming Ribāṭ Riverstead, where students can continue their Islamic education through lifelong-learning courses taken one class at a time, without a formal admissions process.
Receiving conditional approval confirms that Ribāṭ University has met important state requirements in areas such as governance, finances, academic programs, and student support. As we move forward, we will continue strengthening our systems and programs as we work toward full accreditation.
This achievement would not have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our faculty, staff, volunteers, donors, supporters, and everyone who believed in this vision from the very beginning. Together, you have helped create something that I pray will benefit generations of students.
To everyone who has made duʿāʾ, offered encouragement, contributed your expertise, or supported this work in any way—thank you. May Allāh ﷻ reward you abundantly and place baraka in this endeavor.
With gratitude and duʿāʾ,
Dr. Tamara Gray
President
Ribāṭ University