Higher Education Financing Through Islamic Endowment Funds (Waqf): Literature Review and Lessons For University Management
Abstract
Purpose – This study examines literature related to higher education funding through waqf (Islamic endowment funds) published in reputable international journals. So as to provide an understanding of the existence of potential alternative sources in education funding.
Methodology - Literature review is used as an approach in this study. Synthesizing research findings is the best way to present evidence at the meta level and cover the research area. Use selected papers indexed in Scopus published from 2000–2025. Papers are classified into three main topics: Waqf Fundraising, Waqf Fund Utilization, and Waqf Fund/Asset Management.
Findings - Most of the sources for raising educational waqf funds come from internal sources, namely alumni contributions with the type of cash waqf. Based on the topic of the use of educational waqf funds, it shows that they are proportionally used for development expenditure, operational expenses, and academic support. And based on the topic of educational waqf fund/asset management, the sub-topics of productive waqf and good governance were the most studied in this study.
Implication - Universities continue to look for sources of education funding, in addition to budget support from the government. Waqf and its revenues have not been widely used in Indonesia as a source of university financing. So university management needs to consider the role of waqf in higher education.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Adewale, A. S., & Zubaedy, A. (2019). Islamic Finance Instruments as Alternative Financing to Sustainable Higher Education in Nigeria. GJAT, VOLUME 9, (ISSUE 1).
Ab. Aziz, M. R., Yusof, M. A., Johari, F., Ramli, A., & Sabri, H. (2014). The Relief of Higher Education Loan through Islamic Waqf Bank. Asian Social Science, Vol. 10, No. 22.
Ahmad, A., Baharudin, A., Yusoff, W. Z., Abdullah, S. M., & Soon, N. K. (2016). Transformation of Waqf Implementation at Malaysian Public Universities. Advanced Science Letters, Vol. 22 (9).
Alhifni, A., Huda, N., Anshori, M., & Trihantana, R. (2017). Waqf an instrument of community empowerment in Islamic Boarding School Daarut Tauhid in Indonesia. Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking, and Finance, vol. 13 No. 2.
Ambrose, A. H., Hassan, M. A., & Hanafi, H. (2017). A proposed model for waqf financing public goods and mixed public goods in Malaysia. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management. doi:DOI 10.1108/IMEFM-01-2017-0001
Azha, L., Baharuddin, S., Sayurno, Salahuddin, S. S., Afandi, M. R., & Afifah, H. (2013). The Practice and Management of Waqf Education in Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90, 22-30.
Barr, N. (2004). Higher education funding. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 20 No. 2, 264-283. doi:10.1093/Oxrep/Grh015
Fadhilah, Zurina, Mohammad, & Nursilah. (2017). The Effort of Selected Public and Private Universities to Develop Awqaf Property in Malaysia. Pertanika J. Soc. Sci. & Hum. , 267 - 280 .
Gultom, M. S. (2024). Cash waqf linked deposit: A proposed waqf model for education program and poverty alleviation in Indonesia. In Contributions to Management Science (pp. 313–325). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61778-2_17
Hasbullah, N. A., & Rahman, A. A. (2021). Strategies for Managing Endowment Funds: Case Studies of Selected Malaysian Public Universities. Jurnal Pengurusan, 62.
Huq, M. A., & Khan, F. (2017). The Role of Cash Waqf in The Development of Islamic Higher Education in Bangladesh. Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance, Vol. 13 No. 4.
Hussin, R. (2021). An Overview Of The Regulatory Framework For Waqf Implementation In Higher Educational Institutions In Malaysia. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, Volume 24(Special Issue 1).
Hussin, R., Manshor, N. M., & Roslim, S. (2021). Good Governance Practices For Waqf In Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Academy of Strategic Management Journal, Volume 20(Special Issue 2).
Jarvis, A. P., & Mishra, P. K. (2020). Leadership and higher education fundraising: Perspectives from Malaysia. Management in Education, Vol. 34(2), 69–75.
Johan, J., Yusof, A. M., & Omar, I. (2016). Waqf for Financial Sustainability of Higher Education in Malaysia: Issues and Challenges. World Applied Sciences Journal, 34(9), 1167-1172.
Johnstone, D. B. (2008). Cost-sharing and the Cost-effectiveness of Grants and Loan Subsidies to Higher Education. Dalam Cost-Sharing And Accessibility In Higher Education: A Fairer Deal? (hal. 51). Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Kamarzaman, N. (2025). Utilizing waqf in enhancing Islamic finance contributions for overcoming research and innovation funding challenges in TVET education sector. Samarah, 9(1), 178–203. https://doi.org/10.22373/sjhk.v9i1.26381
Kasdi, A. (2018). The empowerment of productive waqf in Egyptian al-azhar for education and its relevance to be implemented in Indonesia. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Volume 9(Issue 11).
Khadijah, S., Sabki, M., & Ismail. (2017). Philanthropic Commitment Traits for Waqf in Higher Education. GJAT, VOL 7(ISSUE 1).
Leslie, L. L., & Ramey, G. (1988). Donor behavior and voluntary support for higher education institutions. The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 59 No. 2, 115-132.
Mahamood, S. M., & Ab Rahman, A. (2015). Financing universities through waqf, pious endowment: is it possible? Humanomics, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 430-453. doi:DOI 10.1108/H-02-2015-0010
Mazura, N., & Aman, A. (2021). Understanding the Issues of Waqf at Public University: Preliminary Findings. International Journal of Islamic Thought, Vol. 20.
Mohsin, M. I. (2013). Financing through cash-waqf: a revitalization to finance different needs. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, pp. 304-321. doi:DOI 10.1108/IMEFM-08-2013-0094
Mujani, W. K., Rifin, M. K., Resad, I. S., Jamsari, E. A., Palil, M. R., Ahmad, M., & Taib, M. S. (2017). Strengthening And Enhancing Economy And Education Through Waqf In Malaysia. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), Volume 8(Issue 12), pp. 600–613.
Mujani, W. K., Taib, M. S., Rifin, M. K., & Khalid, K. A. (2018). The History of The Development of Higher Education Waqf In Malaysia. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, Volume 9(Issue 3), pp. 549–557.
Narayan, P. K., & Phan, D. H. (2019). A survey of Islamic banking and finance literature: Issues, challenges and future directions. Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 53, 484–496. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2017.06.006
Nor, S. b., & Yaakub, N. I. (2015). Educational Endowments Governance for Institutions of Higher Education in Malaysia: A Preliminary Study. Advanced Science Letters.
Rohayati , M. I., Najdi , Y., & Williamson, J. C. (2016). Philanthropic Fundraising of Higher Education Institutions: A Review of the Malaysian and Australian Perspectives. Sustainability, 8, 541. doi:doi:10.3390/su8060541
Samindjaya, S. S. (2024). Imam Zarkasyi’s contribution to Indonesia’s modern waqf education system. Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization, 14(1), 74–91. https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.141.05
Saidon, R., & et al. (2019). Examining The Practice Of Waqf-Based Education In Indonesia. International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), Volume 10(Issue 02), pp. 814–819.
Shamsudin, A. F., Hashim, J., Yusof, W. S., Yusof, A., Mohamad, S., Yusof, A. M., . . . Abidin, I. Z. (2015). A Conceptual Model for Inter-State Corporate Waqf Financing for Higher Learning. GJAT, VOL 5 (ISSUE 1 ).
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature Review as a research Methodology : an overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333-339. doi:doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Sukmana, R. (2020). Critical assessment of Islamic endowment funds (Waqf) literature: lesson for government and future directions. Heliyon, 6 . doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05074
Usman, M., & Ab Rahman, A. (2021.a). Funding higher education through waqf: a lesson from Pakistan. International Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Finance and Management, pp. 409-424. doi:DOI 10.1108/IMEFM-05-2019-0200
Usman, M., & Ab Rahman, A. (2021.b). Financing Higher Education through Waqf in Pakistan: Issues and Challenges. Jurnal Pengurusan.
Usman, M., & Ab Rahman, A. (2022). Funding higher education through waqf: a lesson from Malaysia. International Journal of Ethics and Systems. doi:DOI 10.1108/IJOES-12-2021-0217
Yulia, P., Stavytskyy, A., & Kharlamova, G. (2021). Is the endowment fund a panacea for the financial autonomy of classical universities in Ukraine? Problems and Perspectives in Management, Volume 19(Issue 3). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(3).2021.32
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/rief.v9i1.98347
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yana Rohmana, Suci Aprilliani Utami

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that makes research freely available to the public and supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Internasional (CC BY-SA 4.0).
.jpg)
.jpg)
