Accreditation
Quality Assurance measures at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) work to ensure high levels of academic standards and institutional performances. Our efforts are monitored by the Ministry’s Quality Assurance Committee to regulate and standardize ways to promote academic quality throughout the entire Kurdistan region and federal Iraq. To support its mission of bringing American-style, liberal arts higher education to Iraq, AUIS has set American regional accreditation as a key institutional goal. The Accreditation Steering Committee, in pursuit of this goal, will coordinate all committees, oversee all record keeping, and produce all reports related to accreditation.
Iraq
AUIS was awarded full accreditation by Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) in February 2017 and is the first private university in the Kurdistan region to receive such accreditation after working for several years to meet the Ministry’s accreditation standards. The accreditation opens up new employment and graduate education opportunities for AUIS alumni in Iraq and other countries.
Under the laws and regulations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which is an “organized region” according to Article 114.6 of the Iraqi constitution, AUIS is a fully recognized university and indeed classed as the best of its kind under its jurisdiction. This jurisdiction is decisive for national and international recognition, since under the Iraqi constitution (cf. Article 115), regulation of the education sector is not reserved to the federal government, and regional regulation and recognition has priority.
AUIS also complies with the rules and regulations of the KRG's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR). In addition to AUIS admissions standards, all enrolled AUIS students must meet the basic enrollment criteria and standards of MoHESR. Likewise, in addition to rigorous internal quality assurance, all academic programs at AUIS are subject to the quality assurance standards laid out by the KRG MoHE.
The United States
Academic programs, taught in the English language, are designed to meet or exceed accreditation standards set by regional accreditation organizations in the United States.
AUIS is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation for the period April 2020 through April 2030 and agrees to uphold the CEA Standards for English Language Programs and Institutions. CEA is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency for English language programs and institutions in the U.S. For further information about this accreditation, please contact CEA, 1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 630, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 665-3400, www.cea-accredit.org.
APP operates with a high level of quality, with an approved program of study, qualified instructors, adequate resources, and approved recruitment and admissions policies. Through the hard work of the APP staff and instructors, APP has acquired public recognition with this accreditation which indicates that it fully meets US and international standards set by the US Department of Education.
The self-study documents can be found in the APP Administration Office in the Academic Block (Building-B) of the campus and consist of a regular, yearly program review incorporating course/assessment reviews, student/faculty feedback, and other data is conducted at the end of every academic year.
APP was awarded a second 10-year accreditation by CEA in April 2020.
Ranking
AUIS is ranked in the top tier ("Group B") of private universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by the KRG Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which recognizes AUIS as the region's top private university in alumni employment. In the 2022 Alumni Report, 87 percent of AUIS graduates reported they were employed full- and part-time, or pursuing graduate studies, well above the national average. An overwhelming number of alumni are employed in the country's growing private sector at a high average salary.
