Admissions Policy

at-Taʾṣīl (التأصيل) · Foundation Diploma in Islamic Studies · International Islamic College, Leicester

Ref: TSL-POL-002 · Version: 1.0 (draft) · Date: 7 September 2026 · Owner: Programme Lead (Ustādh Emran Ahmed) · Review: before the Programme opens, then annually.

1. Purpose

1.1 This policy sets out how the International Islamic College ("the College") admits students to at-Taʾṣīl, the Foundation Diploma in Islamic Studies ("the Programme"). Its aim is simple: every applicant is treated the same way, told the same things, and given a clear answer quickly.

1.2 The Foundation Diploma is the College's own award. The College is independent: the award is not a regulated qualification, is not accredited, and carries no university credit. Places are offered on that honest basis, which is stated again in the syllabus and the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all applications for the 2026–27 year: a three-evenings-a-week programme taught at Masjid Fida, 9 Osmaston Road, Leicester LE5 5JN, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8.00–9.00pm, from Monday 21 September 2026 to Friday 16 July 2027. It should be read with the Fees and Refunds Policy, the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment, the Safeguarding Policy, the Complaints and Academic Appeals Policy and the College Privacy Notice (TSL-POL-010).

3. Principles of fair admission

• 1. The entry requirements in section 4 are the only criteria, applied the same way to everyone. Background, connections and how much a person already knows play no part.
• 2. There is no cap on numbers. The College is not choosing between applicants: everyone who meets the entry requirements is offered a place.
• 3. The Programme is open to brothers and sisters alike, on the same terms, from the start. Seating and classroom arrangements follow the masjid's practice, and sessions on personal fiqh are taught separately to brothers and sisters; the syllabus, the teaching and the award are the same for all.
• 4. Applying is free. No fee is charged at any stage of admission, and the conversation with the teacher costs nothing.
• 5. Reasonable adjustments are made for disabled applicants at every stage — for example, arranging the conversation at an easier time, allowing extra time to settle, or having a supporter present. Applicants can raise a need when they first get in touch, or at any point after.
• 6. Admissions are rolling: applications are handled in the order they arrive, and remain open until the Programme begins. Whether someone can still join once teaching has started is the Programme Lead's decision, made on whether the student can realistically catch up.
• 7. Only the information needed for a decision is collected (section 9).

4. Entry requirements

There are no other entry qualifications. No prior study of ʿaqīdah, fiqh, ḥadīth or Arabic grammar is expected — the Programme exists to teach these from their foundations.

• 1. Aged 16 or over on 1 September 2026, with no upper age limit — sixth-formers, university students, working professionals and retired people alike.
• 2. Able to read the Qur'an fluently in Arabic script. The Arabic strand starts from the very beginning, but it moves at the Madinah pace, and fluent reading is what makes that pace possible.
• 3. A short conversation with the teacher before a place is confirmed (section 6).
• 4. For applicants aged 16 or 17, written parental consent (section 7).

5. How to apply

Contact the College on 07436 436363 or at info@theiic.uk. The College takes a few details — name, date of birth, contact details, and for an under-18 a parent's or guardian's details, an emergency contact, any medical or access information the parent wants the College to know (optional), and the going-home arrangement (collected by a parent or named adult, or travelling home alone with the parent's written permission; the safeguarding lead holds the permissions list) — and arranges the conversation with the teacher. An applicant will normally know where they stand within a week of that conversation.

6. The conversation with the teacher

6.1 The conversation is not an exam. There is nothing to revise, no marks and no pass list, and no fee is charged for it. It is a short, friendly meeting with two purposes:

• Readiness. The teacher will usually ask the applicant to read a short passage of the Qur'an aloud — not to grade the reading, but because fluent reading is the one skill the Programme builds on rather than teaches.
• Pace-fit. The teacher makes sure the applicant knows what the year asks of them — three evenings a week in class, 45–60 minutes of directed study a day, a short written assignment each week and one structured essay a term — and answers any questions, so that the decision to enrol is an informed one.

6.2 It is not selection by knowledge. No one is turned away for not knowing things the Programme is designed to teach.

6.3 If the pace would not serve someone — most often because Qur'an reading is not yet fluent enough for the Arabic strand — the teacher says so plainly and kindly, with practical advice on what to work on and an open invitation to return: later in the year if catching up is realistic, or for the next intake if not. Advice of this kind is a service to the applicant, not a rejection, and it is always put in a way the applicant can act on.

7. Applicants aged 16 or 17

7.1 A place for a 16- or 17-year-old is confirmed only once the College holds written consent from a parent or guardian, together with that parent's or guardian's contact details.

7.2 Parents of under-18s are told of every absence, and consent covers this contact. Before the first session, students and the parents of under-18s receive the Programme's safeguarding statement, which names Ustādh Emran Ahmed, the Programme's safeguarding lead, and sets out the independent route — the Academic Lead's confidential contact, the Leicester City LADO, the NSPCC or the police — for any concern that involves the lead/teacher himself.

8. Offers, cost and confirming a place

8.1 Offers are made in writing. A place is confirmed when the applicant accepts and, for an under-18, when parental consent is received.

8.2 Before accepting, every applicant is told the full cost: tuition of £40 a month for the eleven months September 2026 to July 2027 inclusive — £440 for the year — and the £50 end-of-year examination fee: £490 for the year including the Diploma examination, plus books (the class book bundle, charged separately at cost, price TBCTBC — announced before the Programme starts). Entering the summer examination series is optional, and the £50 is paid only on entry, in the summer term; the Diploma is awarded only to students who sit and pass it, and a student who does not enter receives a transcript of the year's study and marks instead. Full details are in the Fees and Refunds Policy. There is no enrolment or registration fee and there are no charges other than these.

8.3 The 14-day cooling-off period, the monthly billing arrangement and all refund terms are set out in the Fees and Refunds Policy.

9. Applicant data

The College collects only what a decision needs, is the data controller for it, and handles it under the College Privacy Notice. Nothing passes to Masjid Fida beyond what safety requires. ICO registration of the College: TBCICO-REGISTRATION-TBC — legally required before applicant data flows; ~£52/yr.

10. Complaints about admissions

An applicant who believes the admissions process was not properly followed in their case may complain under the Complaints and Academic Appeals Policy to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq at-Turkmānī, Academic Lead and co-founder of the College, who is independent of the teaching of this Programme. A complaint reviews the process that was followed, not the teacher's scholarly judgement.

11. Responsibilities

• Programme Lead (Ustādh Emran Ahmed) — operates the process, holds the conversations, gives decisions and advice, arranges reasonable adjustments and keeps the records.
• Applicants — give accurate, complete information and raise any adjustment needs.
• Parents and guardians of under-18s — provide written consent and reachable contact details.

12. References

• Foundation Diploma Syllabus 2026–27 (v3.2)
• Fees and Refunds Policy · Terms and Conditions of Enrolment · Safeguarding Policy · Complaints and Academic Appeals Policy
• College Privacy Notice (TSL-POL-010)
• Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013; Consumer Rights Act 2015

Revision history

International Islamic College, Leicester · 07436 436363 · info@theiic.uk · theiic.uk