Operational License

The National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA) has granted the International Open University a three years Provisional License to operate as a higher education institution in The Gambia with effect from 29 April, 2019. This license also serves as an institutional accreditation of International Open University, the Gambia, by National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority.

Please click here to view the license.

The Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology has granted to the International Open University a license to operate an online university in The Gambia with effect from May 13, 2014.

Please click here to view the license.

Certificate of Equivalence

In this month of March 2018, the International Open University (IOU) is pleased to announce that the government of Indonesia has issued a Certificate of Equivalency to the IOU in regards to its’ MAIS program. It has been issued by the Director General of Learning and University Student Affairs Ministry of Research, Technology and High Education of the Republic of Indonesia.

The Certificate of Equivalency for IOU’s MAIS program is as follows: Original (Bahasa) Document and Translated Document

Memorandums of Understanding with Different Financial Organizations

Maldives Islamic Bank, Maldives and International Open University (IOU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2017
Please click here to view the MOU.

Sterling Bank, Nigeria and International Open University (IOU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2017
Please click here to view the MOU.

Maldives Islamic Bank, Maldives and International Open University (IOU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2017
Please click here to view the MOU.

Memorandums of Understanding with Universities Worldwide

IOU Membership in Higher Education Quality Assurance Networks

The International Open University is an associate member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE), which is a world-wide association of over 200 organizations active in the theory and practice of quality assurance in higher education.

INQAAHE is a quality assurance community with shared interests, a common language and an understanding of how things are done with regard to a very specific field of work. It provides a forum for the discussion of global issues, such as cross border education that go beyond national or regional boundaries. Members have the opportunity to learn from what others are doing, from both their successes and their failures, and thus have now set the ground for the development of a quality assurance profession.
The membership can be verified here.

The International Open University is an associate member of the African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN), which has been set up to provide assistance to institutions concerned with Quality Assurance in higher education in Africa. The Network has been set up by the Association of African Universities (AAU) with financial support from Global Initiative on Quality Assurance Capacity (GIQAC)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Network is committed to the enhancement of the quality of higher education on the African continent and the collaboration with similar organizations on other continents.

The objectives of AfriQAN are to:

The International Open University is an associate member of the Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (IQA) established in an effort to promote and enhance quality higher education in the countries of the Islamic world.

The goals of IQA are:

IOU Membership in International Educational Organizations

The International Open University (IOU) is an approved member institution of the Association of African Universities (AAU).

he Association of African Universities is an international non-governmental organization set up by universities in Africa to promote cooperation among themselves and between them and the international Academic community.

The AAU is the apex organization and principal forum for consultation, exchange of information and cooperation among the universities in Africa; and where appropriate, the AAU works in collaboration with other national and international organizations, including governments.

The AAU has affiliations with an increasing number of organizations within and outside Africa, and has signed Memoranda of Understanding with a number of others.

I. Organizations with which AAU is affiliated

II.  Organizations with which AAU has signed Memoranda of Understanding

The IOU membership can be verified ?  here??.

The International Open University (IOU) is an approved member institution of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE).

The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) was founded in 1938 in Canada as the International Council for Correspondence Education and today, the ICDE is the leading global membership organization for open, distance, flexible and online education, including e-learning, with members from 60 countries representing every continent.

ICDE is a non-governmental organization supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and in formal consultative relations with UNESCO. ICDE works together with UNESCO in the service of international cooperation and development since 1967. This status grants ICDE’s members a voice at UNESCO.
The IOU membership can be verified? here??.

The International Open University is an associate member of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). The Association, AAOU, is a non-profit organization of higher learning institutions that were established to widen the educational opportunities available for all people in Asia and to improve the quality of the institutions in terms of their educational management, teaching and research.

The AAOU promotes education by distance teaching systems, as well as professional and ethical standards; develops potentialities of open and distance education; cooperates with official bodies and others directly or indirectly interested in education at a distance; and facilitates cooperation with other similar regional and international bodies.

The objectives of the AAOU are:

The membership of IOU at the AAOU may be verified here.

In its quest to change nations through education by raising a generation of individuals aware of their social duties towards their communities, the International Open University has joined the Talloires Network, which is an international association of institutions committed to strengthening the civic roles and social responsibilities of higher education. The Talloires Network is a global coalition of 315 universities in 72 countries with a combined enrollment of over 6 million students.

General Benefits of the Talloires Network Member Institutions

Benefits for the Students

The IOU membership can be verified ?  here??.

The International Open University is committed towards its civic engagement and realizes that universities should play a major role in creating a generation of individuals who are aware of their social responsibilities and would benefit their communities as responsible citizens. The IOU’s civic engagement activities’ summary and membership status can be verified here.
The International Open University Civic Engagement Report (August 2015) may be viewed here.

The International Open University is a member of the International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE) which is the Global Body for Professional Certification and Accreditation for the Islamic Finance Education. The ICIFE aims to increase and maintain the professionalism of educators in the Islamic Finance field at the national (Malaysia) and international level.
Some of the Objectives of ICIFE are:

Benefits of Joining ICIFE:

Benefits for the Students:

The membership of IOU at the ICIFE can be verified here.

The IInternational Open University (IOU) ?has ?established ?ICIFE (International Council of Islamic Finance Educators) ??country chapters in four countries: India, the Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Somaliland?.

The country chapter certificates may be viewed here:

Affiliations with Government Bodies

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) of the Government of The Gambia, and the International Open University (IOU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 15, 2015.
Please click here to view the MOU.

Accreditation

The Government of Somalia’s Ministry of Culture and Higher Education has granted a university license to the International Open University, adding it to its list of accredited universities in Somalia which are recognized by the UN and therefore recognized by accredited universities globally.
Please click here to view the initial license and here to view the renewed license.

B.Sc. IBE Program Accredited by ICIFE

CIFE, global body for professional certification and accreditation for Islamic finance education, carefully examined the IOU B.Sc. in Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance (B.Sc. IBE) program and decreed that it fulfills all the requirements and passed all the prescribed assessments. Hence, the ICIFE awarded the B.Sc. IBE program with ICIFE Certificate of Conformity on Accreditation Standards accordingly. 

ICIFE was established on December 18, 2013, from an initiative known as Entry Point Project (EPP) 7 under Malaysian government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has been appointed to spearhead this project jointly with other selected universities with the purpose of developing and internationally acceptable Curriculum and Talent for Islamic finance education. This body plays an important role as guardian and global authority on Islamic banking and finance. ICIFE aims to increase and maintain the professionalism of the educators in Islamic Finance field at the national and international level.