How To Apply

Our freshman class is always small (less than 20 students) and always diverse in many ways, but its students are all motivated by the desire to acquire the timeless tools of learning found in the Islamic and Western traditions that are essential to building a more purposeful future.

We ask for your transcripts, test scores, essays, and letters of recommendation so that you can show us your perseverance in your educational journey, your commitment to habits of learning such as a regular practice of memorization or the daily use of dictionaries, and your curiosity to pursue intellectual passions. Your personal essays, in particular, tell us not only your story but also demonstrate your grasp of the arts of communication—grammar, logic, and rhetoric—that are essential for success at Zaytuna.

We invite you to show us why you would thrive in our community of students and scholars that is varied in its passions and interests but mutual in its commitment to inculcating the love of beauty, truth, and goodness in a human being.

Application Deadline

Applications for Fall 2022 are open as of August 1, 2021.

Admissions Requirements

• Online application
• Transcripts from high school and/or college
• Three letters of recommendation
• Three personal essays
• Non-native speakers of English must also submit a TOEFL, IELTS, CEFR level, or Duolingo English Test score
• SAT, ACT, or CLT results*

*Please note that some standardized exams, such as the ACT and CLT, can now be taken remotely at home. Please contact testing agencies directly for more information. Please also note that in place of the SAT, ACT, or CLT, we may also accept national exams common to your country (such as the A-Levels in the United Kingdom). Please contact us to verify if the exam you are considering will qualify you for admission to Zaytuna College. 

Due to regulations governing the F-1 student visa, international students are unable to join us for the Summer Arabic Intensive. Therefore, international students must first pass our Arabic Proficiency Test in order to receive an offer of admission. Our Arabic Proficiency Test covers material equivalent to the first 12 chapters of Al-Kitaab Fii Ta'Allum Al-'Arabiyya: A Textbook for Beginning Arabic, Part 1 (2nd Edition). The Admissions Office may invite you to take the Arabic Proficiency Test after evaluating your application.

Zaytuna College is temporarily waiving the community service requirement for Fall 2022 admissions.

Please upload unofficial transcripts with your application. We will request official documents once you are admitted.

Once you submit your online application, a Zaytuna admissions officer will be in touch with you throughout your application process to assist with any questions and to provide updates or further instructions.

If you are not ready to apply yet, but have questions or would like to stay in touch, please contact us at [email protected]. 

Application Deadline

Applications for Fall 2022 are open as of August 1, 2021.

Minimum Qualifications

• Any candidate who has earned a terminal degree, such as a bachelor’s degree or seminary (madrasa) equivalent, may apply​
• Oral examination administered as part of the admissions interview to assess your Arabic reading/comprehension and area of concentration proficiencies​
• Studied rudimentary classical texts of grammar, fiqh, theology, rhetoric, and the other Islamic sciences with a qualified teacher​
• Proficiency in the English language similar to a native speaker​
• 3 letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose 
• Statement of research interest ​
• Statement of academic history (optional)​
• Academic transcripts​
• Writing sample​

Recommended Qualifications

• Foundational training in the Islamic sciences
• An existing BA degree in Islamic Studies or ancillary fields (e.g. theology, philosophy, Arabic, Islamic Law, history)  
• Foundational training in Quranic studies (memorization is highly valued)​
• GPA of 3.5 or better​