The highly regarded International Islamic University Malaysia, built around the concept of the "Garden of Knowledge and Virtue", was founded in 1983. It has since become one of the prominent universities, not only in Malaysia, also internationally. Over the last 20 years, the university has been host to students from more than 92 countries. The University's uniqueness lies in its philosophy and curricula, which combine rigorous academic programs with Islamic social and moral values. The majority of the undergraduate and postgraduate programs are in the fields of Management, Engineering, Law, Science, Medicine, Education and Architecture. The University's modern campus was officially opened in April 2001. Situated at the foot of the Gombak hillside, it is about 10 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

The campus occupies an area of 288 hectares. The purpose built campus offers a complete range of facilities that includes on-campus housing, a large library with on-line access, a 24-hour clinic, cafeterias, auditoriums, communication facilities, computer labs, teaching and research labs, convenience stores, a post office and two banks. The University also provides various sports facilities such as an Olympic size swimming pool, two sport complexes, football fields, tennis courts, basketball courts etc. Similar facilities are also available on the IIUM's two other branch campuses situated in Kuantan, Pahang and Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The University currently has a student enrolment totaling 16,000.