UII was initially founded under the name of Sekolah Tinggi Islam (STI-Islamic Higher School) by some leading figures including Dr. Muhammad Hatta (the first Vice President of Indonesia), in Jakarta on 8 July 1945. STI became the first national university which then evolved into a university and renamed to Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) on Desember 14, 1947 to respond to the growing demand to integrate knowledge with spiritual teachings. During the National Struggle against the Netherlands occupation in Jakarta, UII moved to Jogjakarta but from that point gained opportunity to expand. In 1960s and 1970s UII expanded to cater as many as 22 faculties, which were located not only in Jogjakarta but also other cities such as Surakarta, Klaten, Purwokerto and Gorontalo. Later, those branches became the seed for later public universities in those cities. Since the 1990s, UII developed a 36 hectares Integrated Campus located in northern suburb Jogjakarta while maintains four major campuses in the city. This main campus with its milder and more pleasant climate is an excellent place to study and enjoy academic life. Mosque, sport hall, auditoriums, hospital and student convention center are among first-rate facilities available in the campus. Currently, UII as one of the leading Islamic universities in Indonesia and with its unique history and strong leadership could attracts thousand of students from all provinces of Indonesia.
