Founded by Dr. Tamara Gray, Riba? University is the world's only global university for Muslim women, built on a decade of experience in online educational programming for women.
ARDEN HILLS, Minn., Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rabata announced the launch of Riba? University, the world's first women-led, women-taught, and women-attended university grounded in Islamic epistemology, expanding global access to higher education for women through affordable, fully online degree programs. Welcoming its inaugural cohort in Fall 2026, Riba? University will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and lifelong learning pathways to Muslim women worldwide.
Admissions for Riba? University's Fall 2026 term are currently open, with applications closing on February 22, 2026.
Delivered fully online, Riba? University's academic model is designed to serve women from diverse geographic, cultural, and professional contexts while enabling students to remain rooted in their local communities. The university's curriculum emphasizes both timeless scholarship and contemporary relevance, integrating Islamic epistemology with pedagogical approaches responsive to today's learners.
Founded by Rabata, a nonprofit organization known for its commitment to women's education, spiritual development, and community care, Riba? University represents the formal evolution of Ribaat Academic Institute, which has provided online Islamic education since 2012. Over more than a decade, Ribaat Academic Institute has served more than 10,000 women across over 90 countries, delivering classroom-tested, globally accessible programming that now forms the foundation of Riba? University's academic model.
Riba? University is rooted in the historic Islamic tradition of women as scholars, teachers, and transmitters of knowledge, a legacy that spans more than 1,400 years. Drawing on this tradition at a global scale, the university seeks to expand access to higher education for women through attainable academic pathways that support women's economic prosperity, leadership development, and career pathways.
Academic offerings for the undergraduate degrees span across:
- Business
- Leadership
- Psychology
- Pedagogy
- History
- Arabic Language
- Islamic Studies
The university also offers graduate theological training through programs such as the Master of Theological Studies and Doctor of Theology in Islamic Belief and Practice, supporting both formal academic progression and sustained scholarly engagement throughout a student's life.
Founded under the leadership of Dr. Tamara Gray, Riba? University builds on her decades-long commitment to Muslim women's education and institutional leadership. Dr. Gray is the founder and president of Riba? University, and the CEO of Rabata, and holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, as well as a master's degree in curriculum theory and instruction from Temple University. She spent two decades studying Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria, and is the author and translator of multiple works on education, spirituality, and Islamic thought.
"Education should do more than prepare students for a career; it should prepare them to serve, to lead, and to strengthen the communities they belong to," said Dr. Tamara Gray, founder of Riba? University. "Riba? University was created to help women align their education with purpose, values, and meaningful impact in the world."
For more information about Riba? University and its academic programs, visit ribat.rabata.org.
About Riba? University
Riba? University is a women-led, women-taught, and women-attended online university dedicated to expanding access to affordable, rigorous higher education for women worldwide. Grounded in Islamic epistemology and tradition, the university offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificates, and academic pathways designed to support women's economic prosperity, leadership development, and career pathways, alongside opportunities for advanced study in Islamic theology.
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