Ali Shareef

Villa College

Villa College is the leading private higher education institution in the Maldives, offering a wide range of programmes in the Maldives and catering to the educational needs of over 3000 students enrolled at the College. The fully-fledged tertiary education institute was established with an endowment from the well-known Maldivian entrepreneur and philanthropist Honourable Dr Qasim Ibrahim, to offer educational opportunities to Maldivians. With this objective, Villa College began its historic journey on the 28th of January 2007 with the registration of its first institute, Villa Institute of Water Sports, followed by the Villa Institute of Information Technology and Villa Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Studies. Due to the consistent endeavours of the Founder, Honourable Dr Qasim Ibrahim, and the countless efforts of the enthusiastic and committed staff, Villa College was registered and established as the first private college in the Maldives by the Department of Higher Education on 17th October 2007. The vision of Villa College is "to be the leading higher education provider in the Maldives, highly valued locally and recognized internationally". The mission of Villa College is "to sustain, develop and disseminate knowledge and understanding by providing internationally recognized higher education at an affordable price, through teaching, research, consultancy and training which develop intellectual capacity and values vital to the dynamic Maldivian community and economy". Villa College commenced its first programme in early October 2007 with a total of twenty students and four classrooms. Since then, the student numbers have grown steadily and today over three thousand students, learning across various disciplines, are enrolled in Villa College, studying certificate, undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.