Umm al-Qura University

Umm al-Qura University is a Saudi public university located in Makkah al-Mukarramah in the western region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The College of Sharia, established in 1949 by the order of the Founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud, was considered the cornerstone of the university. It is the first university education edifice in the Kingdom.

Umm Al-Qura University, along with the three other public universities located in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province, represents 14 percent of the total number of universities in the Kingdom. Umm al-Qura University has three campuses in Makkah: one in al-Aziziyyah, another in az-Zahir, and the third in Abidiyyah. King Fahd Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud established the third campus in 1986. It is located in an area close to the plain of Arafat, southeast of Makkah al-Mukarramah. There are also affiliated colleges in several governorates, including al-Qunfudhah, al-Laith, Jamoum, and Adham university colleges.

In 1949, the Founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered the establishment of a college of Sharia in Makkah al-Mukarramah to be the first educational edifice in the Kingdom. In 1953, the College of Teachers was established and lasted for almost seven years. The task of preparing teachers was assigned to the College of Sharia in 1961, which was called the College of Sharia and Education. In 1962, the College of Education was separated from the College of Sharia.

Between 1971 and 1981, the colleges of Sharia and education were annexed to King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah as a branch of the university in Makkah. At the end of the phase, the College of Education was founded in Taif. It was annexed to Umm al-Qura University in 1981, and several scientific departments and centers were established.

In 1981, King Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered the establishment of the university. As a first phase, five colleges were established as extensions of the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies, the College of Education, and the Institute of Arabic Language. These colleges are the College of Dawah and Islamic Theology, the College of Arabic Language, the College of Applied Sciences, the College of Social Sciences, and the College of Engineering and Islamic Architecture. Subsequently, in 1995, the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences was established in Makkah, and the Deanship of Social Services was changed into a college. As a result, the number of colleges became ten, in addition to an institute for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers and an institute for hajj research.

The university has thirty-four colleges and institutes, ten scientific research centers, 119 departments, 402 educational programs, and the King Abdullah Library. The number of faculty members and their equivalents in 2023 was about 4,737, while the total number of students was 94,843 students, according to the statistics published on the university's website in July 2023.