The university has history of cultivating the intellectual background for Islamic movements and organizations, especially for Nahdlatul Ulama.

[1] UIN Surabaya is named after Sunan Ampel, one of Wali Sanga, the legendary Sufi figures who greatly contributed to the spread of Islam in Indonesia.

At the end of the 1950s, Muslim community leaders in East Java proposed the idea of establishing an Islamic college through the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Then on October 1, 1964, faculty of ushuluddin (Islamic belief) in Kediri was inaugurated based on the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs No.

20/1965 on the establishment of IAIN (State Islamic Institute) Sunan Ampel based in Surabaya.

33 in 1985, the faculty of tarbiyah in Samarinda was separated and submitted its management to IAIN Antasari Banjarmasin.

Today, IAIN Sunan Ampel is concentrated in five parental faculties located in Surabaya.

[2] Today, the issue arises regarding the transformation into the more secular-oriented curriculum which aimed at the increase in the enrollments.

All buildings, facilities and infrastructure are financed from APBN, SBSN, IDB and GRANT funds.