As one of the four units that comprise the Office of the Vice President for Planning, Development and Quality Assurance the main objective of the Institutional Research Unit (IRU) is to conduct research which supports institutional planning; policy formulation and decision making; and to provide the richest possible array of information that will assist the institution to reach evidence-based decisions.

The Institutional Research Unit (IRU) is a service-oriented unit and many of its tasks arise from requests, mainly from university committees and individuals both in the administrative and academic sectors in addition to other formal bodies outside the university. Some research reports are for general distribution within the university while others are for a specific audience.