[4] Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) was officially founded on 1 January 2007 and admitted its first cohort of students in August of the same year, with 27 doctoral candidates and 125 undergraduates.

Initially, UNISSA operated through the Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies (SOASCIS), a faculty previously part of UBD, as it lacked a permanent location.

[4] In February 2009, the university moved to a new campus in Gadong, previously home to the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah College of Nursing.

This program allows students to study for one year, or two semesters, at UNISSA's partner institutions located in the Middle East, the United Kingdom, or Malaysia.

The program aims to expose students to different educational systems, lifestyles, and cultures while promoting the moral principles of Islam and encouraging qualities of global citizenship.

[12] Additionally, the Minor Programme at UNISSA is designed to provide students with interdisciplinary learning opportunities, fostering the development of skilled and versatile graduates.

This initiative aims to enhance the marketability of graduates through a range of available minors, including Contemporary Da‘wah, Shariah Law, Translation, Islamic Economics, Information and Communication Technology, and Halal Science.

[13] The Institute for Policy and Strategy on National Competitiveness (IPSNC) released the World's Universities with Real Impact (WURI) ranking in 2022, and UNISSA made its debut there.

Students from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, China, Japan, Pakistan, Palestine, Nepal, Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and the Gambia displayed their cultures during the event, which had as its subject "International Identity and Spirit."

[30] Since its founding in 2021, the Chancellor's Trophy aims to encourage the expansion of sports, rivalries, and friendships among Brunei's public and private higher education institutions.

[32] Established in 2022, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) operates from a temporary campus equipped with essential facilities, including Surau Al-Shafi'i, a gymnasium, a library with over 120,000 volumes, computer labs, student residential colleges, a football field, Jubilee Hall, an auditorium, a moot court, and a Senate conference room.

Its objectives include maintaining relationships with local stakeholders, media, and global institutions, while facilitating legal processes for memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements (MOAs).

The initial construction phase involves developing the primary road network, street lighting, electrical infrastructure, telecommunications systems, and landscaping.