American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) was ranked among the top universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq by the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Minister Yousif Goran announced in a press conference on November 21.
Ranking criteria include employment of university graduates, faculty qualifications, student evaluations, library and academic resources, international and national partnerships, and quality control. Based on the overall ranking, the Ministry places each of the region’s private and public universities into one of three groups. The University has been awarded the highest group ranking every year since the rankings were established in 2009.
With its growing list of academic degrees, including additions this fall of law, software engineering, translation, and a dual degree with the University of Arizona, together with other degrees in engineering, medical laboratory sciences, business and IT, AUIS has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and fostering an independent, student-centered academic environment to educate and shape the country’s future leaders.
“AUIS is dedicated to high-quality education that provides our graduates with good jobs as well as opportunities for graduate study at top universities around the world,” commented Prof. Bruce Walker Ferguson, AUIS President. “We appreciate the Ministry’s recognition of the hard work the AUIS community undertakes to help our students succeed.”
The highly acclaimed AUIS preparatory program, providing its students with excellent English language and study skills, is the only U.S.-accredited program of its kind in Iraq. AUIS’s pending dual degree program with the University of Arizona will for the first time allow students to obtain an undergraduate degree from a U.S. university without leaving Iraq.