Mastering Islamic Banking Research, Egyptian UMS Student Graduates with Perfect GPA

A mix of emotion and joy filled the graduation ceremony at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS). Among thousands of graduates, Mariam Ahmad Hamza Serour Elbanna stood out.

The student from Egypt not only successfully completed her master’s degree but was also named the best graduate of this graduation period. With a grateful smile, Mariam expressed her happiness. She completed her studies in the Master’s Program in Islamic Economic Law with a perfect GPA of 4.00.

“Alhamdulillah, I was also named the best student,” she said on Saturday (4/4/2026).

Her academic achievement was not the only story she brought home. During her studies in Indonesia, Mariam gained experiences far beyond the classroom. She spoke about the warmth of friendships, cultural diversity, and opportunities to explore various regions of Indonesia.

“Studying in Indonesia, alhamdulillah, I gained a lot of knowledge and many friends. I want to say, UMS is the best, the best in the world,” she said enthusiastically.

The long-awaited graduation moment even made it difficult for her to sleep the night before. A mix of excitement and emotion filled her ahead of the historic day.

Mariam Ahmad Hamza Serour Elbanna during the graduation ceremony.

During her academic journey, Mariam never felt alone. Support from friends, lecturers, and the Directorate of Reputation, Partnership, and International Affairs (DRKUI UMS) played an important role in her success.

“The international office (DRKUI UMS) helped me so much. I can’t forget this, jazakumullah khairan katsiran,” she said gratefully.

Her passion for academia does not stop here. Mariam plans to continue her doctoral studies at UMS, hoping to pursue them through a scholarship.

Behind her achievements lies hard work in research. Mariam graduated after publishing a scientific article indexed in Scopus Q3. Her research focused on the Basel Accord and Islamic banking, examining the implementation of international banking regulations within the Islamic banking system.

She explained that the Basel Accord has traditionally been applied to conventional banks, while Islamic banking includes specific aspects such as sukuk, riba, and muamalah, which require a different approach.

“Those rules are designed for non-Islamic banks, but today they are being applied to Islamic banks. I compared their implementation because Islamic banking involves sukuk, riba, and muamalah. If those rules are not designed to focus on these aspects, how should we adapt them to better align with Islamic principles?” she explained.

Her publication journey was not easy. At first, Mariam admitted she did not fully understand the process of publishing in reputable international journals. However, with guidance from her supervisor, Dr. Muthoifin, S.H.I., M.Ag., she was able to navigate the process successfully.

Now, her name appears in various reputable scientific journals. She has produced two publications in Scopus Q1 journals, two in Q3, as well as several publications in Sinta-indexed journals.

Meanwhile, during the Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Graduation Ceremony for Period III of the 2025/2026 Academic Year, UMS graduated a total of 2,519 students. A total of 1,095 graduates participated in the ceremony on the first day, consisting of 2,382 undergraduate (S1), 122 master’s (S2), and 15 doctoral (S3) graduates.

The graduates’ academic achievements were also impressive. A total of 1,329 graduates earned cum laude honors, and 1,465 of them had produced scientific publications in reputable journals. The average study duration was relatively fast: 3 years and 8 months for undergraduate programs, 1 year and 8 months for master’s programs, and 2 years and 11 months for doctoral programs.

Writer: Maysali Sudarwati

Editor: Fika Annisa Sholihah

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid