BA FAQ

No

No

Undergraduate students take a standardized curriculum with their cohort to foster a community of learning with their peers. Students in our master’s program will select one of two areas of concentration: philosophy and theology or Islamic law.

Yes, Zaytuna students have the option of simultaneously enrolling in University of California Berkeley Extension courses.

Please find a detailed breakdown of our fees under “Tuition & Financial Aid.”

Yes, there are merit-based scholarships and zakat-based, financial-need grants.

Yes

Financial aid can cover up to 100 percent of tuition, books, and housing costs.

Yes

$10,000/year

Yes, please see the Zaytuna College Catalog for more details.

No, however, three free dinners are provided every week by the Zaytuna College Office of Student Life.

Most students share a room with one other person. A few students have two roommates in a large room, and some fourth-year undergraduates live alone.

Yes. We have separate dormitories for men and women.

Most students share a room with another student. Some seniors have their own room.

No

If you are a domestic applicant, you do not need to know Arabic before applying. However, you must acquire one year of college-level Arabic before the fall semester of your freshman year at Zaytuna. You may either do this on your own or attend the Zaytuna College Summer Arabic Intensive (SAI). One year of college-level Arabic is equivalent to the first twelve (12) chapters of 
Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya (Georgetown University Press, 2011). If you are an international applicant, you must pass the Arabic Proficiency Test in order to receive an offer of admission. This is because the regulations governing the F-1 visa bar us from allowing international applicants to attend the Summer Arabic Intensive before the freshman year. To prepare for the Arabic Proficiency Test you should cover material equivalent to the first twelve chapters of Al-Kitaab Fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part 1, 2nd Edition. You can learn more about the Arabic Proficiency Test on this webpage.

Yes, there are communal laundry machines in each dormitory.

Yes, there is a communal kitchen and dining area in each dormitory.

No, but having a background in Islamic studies greatly strengthens your application.

No, but having a background in the classical liberal arts greatly strengthens your application.

Applications open August 15th every year.

Any student who has completed the junior year of high school is eligible to apply to our undergraduate program.

Yes

$50

No

No

Time spent volunteering at a recognized organization whose leadership will attest to your community service may be counted toward your application. Examples of official organizations range from local community centers to international nonprofit organizations.

We suggest that at least two of your letters of recommendation come from educators.

Demonstrating a background in Arabic and/or the liberal arts will strengthen your application.

Please download and view our Proof of Community Service form.

Please download and view our Essay Questions & Instructions.

See our deferral policy.

August 15, 2022

Yes, however, all incoming students join as first-year students regardless of their prior educational background.

Due to the unique curriculum of the Zaytuna College BA program, few if any credits from other institutions of higher education are likely to be deemed equivalent to Zaytuna’s courses, and the College reserves the right to accept or reject credits earned at other institutions. Students at the College advance through their studies in cohorts; consequently, while transfer credits can reduce a student’s course load for any given semester, they do not advance a student to the next cohort.

Yes, all enrolled undergraduate students must complete four years at Zaytuna College.

No, but they are encouraged to submit standardized test results (CLT, SAT, or ACT), and doing so may strengthen their application.