Is it permissible to enroll in a college by paying a financial donation to bypass admission exams or to reserve a seat?
It is permissible to donate to a specific college or institution in exchange for the donor being exempted from the admission exam, or for increasing one's donations to increase their chance of being admitted to study, because the college requires either academic merit or financial benefit for admission, and this is permissible. The money paid in this case is not a pure donation but rather in exchange for the right to study, and this is called "hibat al-thawab" (a gift for reward), which is permissible like a sale. It takes the rulings of a sale in terms of options, returning for defects, and pre-emption, and the right to retract it is forfeited. It is stipulated that the study must be permissible; therefore, it is not permissible to pay money for forbidden studies such as singing or acting.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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